Flat super-continuum generation based on normal dispersion nonlinear photonic crystal fibre

Flat super-continuum generation spanning over the whole telecommunication band using a passively modelocked fibre laser source at 1550 nm together with a dispersion-flattened nonlinear photoinc crystal fibre is demonstrated. Since the pulses propagate in the normal dispersion regime of the fibre only, linear frequency chirp is induced by self-phase modulation which leads to a flat super-continuum.

By launching the compressed 170 fs modelocked pulses with an average power of 10 mW into the fibre, super-continuum over 185 nm with less than 5 dB fluctuation is obtained from the all-fibre configuration.