Photodarkening in Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibers induced by 488 nm irradiation

Photodarkening of Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibers by continuous wave 488 nm irradiation was investigated. The irradiation induced significant excess loss in the UV-visible spectroscopy (VIS) region in Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibers while pure aluminosilicate fibers showed negligible induced loss. Ultraviolet-VIS-near-infrared spectroscopy revealed an absorption peak at 220 nm in unexposed Yb-doped aluminosilicate fiber preforms. The observed peak was attributed to Yb-associated oxygen deficiency centers (ODCs) and proposed as a precursor of the photodarkening. The proposed model was supported by measurements on oxygen-loaded Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibers. In these, the photodarkening could be significantly reduced, which we attribute to a smaller number of ODCs following oxygen loading.