1.55-μm high-peak, high-average-power laser amplifier using an Er,Yb:glass planar waveguide for wind sensing coherent Doppler lidar.

We have developed a high-gain, high-peak-power laser amplifier at an eye-safe 1.55 μm wavelength using an Er,Yb:glass planar waveguide for wind sensing coherent Doppler lidars (CDLs). Our planar waveguide is free from stimulated Brillouin scattering and realizes high gain thanks to its multi-bounce optical-path configuration. A peak power of 5.5 kW with a pulse energy of 3.2 mJ is achieved at the repetition frequency of 4 kHz, which leads to an average power of 12.8 W. The gain is more than 23 dB. The wind sensing at more than 30 km is demonstrated with a CDL using the developed amplifier.