Multi-wavelength Er–Yb-doped fibre ring laser using a double-pass Mach–Zehnder interferometer with a Sagnac interferometer

Abstract In this paper, the performance of a switchable multi-wavelength Er–Yb-doped fibre ring laser incorporating a comb filter is described. The comb filter was developed by using the double-pass Mach–Zehnder interferometer with a Sagnac interferometer (DMZI–SI) arranged in series, a 10-m-long PANDA-type polarisation-maintaining optical fibre, and polarisation controllers (PCs). The laser output can be switched from 1536 to 1548 nm (C-band) via careful adjustment of the PCs. A side-mode separation ratio, greater than 28 dB, was obtained to facilitate stable single-, double-, quadruple-, and quintuple-wavelength emissions, with spectral power and wavelength fluctuations of 0.47–1.06 dB and 0.01–0.06 nm, respectively. The measurements were performed for 60 min at 25 °C. The proposed comb-filter configuration facilitates the double-clad fibre ring laser to realise switchable multi-wavelength emission. Experimental results reveal that the proposed laser demonstrates high stability and significantly improved performance compared to the existing DMZI–SI filter-based systems. This indicates their potential for use in applications involving optical sensing, communication systems, and microwave generation.