英国索斯安普敦大学的光纤小组已研制成一种掺稀土的光纤,这种光纤有朝一日可作为电信或传感器系统的低价格激光器用。这种索斯安普敦激光器(其纤芯中掺钕离子)可以克服一般半导体激光器所遇到的许多问题。一般激光器一定是硬的。在光学上一定是直的,而且其透镜须经专门设计并精确配置,以达到每端严格对中。这类激光器易受灰尘、振动和其它环境条件的影响,同时还需要相当大的并且昴贵的电源,工作寿命也有限。这种新型激光器柔软而且不需要分隔镜。因为完全被玻璃封装,所以污染的影响很小或者没有影响。它 The fiber team at Southampton University in the UK has developed a rare earth-doped fiber that one day can be used as a low-cost laser for telecom or sensor systems. This Southampton laser, whose core incorporates neodymium ions, overcomes many of the problems encountered with typical semiconductor lasers. General laser must be hard. It must be optically straight, and its lenses must be specially designed and precisely configured to achieve a strict centering of each end. Such lasers are susceptible to dust, vibration and other environmental conditions, while also requiring relatively large and expensive power supplies with limited working lives. The new laser is soft and does not require a splitter. Because it is completely encapsulated in glass, the effect of contamination is minimal or nonexistent. it