The paper deals with spectral and lasing characteristics of
thulium-doped optical fibers fabricated by means of two doping
techniques,
i.e. via a conventional solution-doping method and via
a nanoparticle-doping method. The difference in fabrication was the
application of a suspension of aluminum oxide nanoparticles of defined
size instead of a conventional chloride-containing solution. Samples of
thulium-doped silica fibers having nearly identical chemical composition
and waveguiding properties were fabricated. The sample fabricated by
means of the nanoparticle-doping method exhibited longer lifetime,
reflecting other observations and the trend already observed with the
fibers doped with erbium and aluminum nanoparticles. The fiber
fabricated by means of the nanoparticle-doping method exhibited a lower
lasing threshold (by ~20%) and higher slope efficiency (by ~5% rel.).
All these observed differences are not extensive and deserve more
in-depth research; they may imply a positive influence of the
nanoparticle approach on properties of rare-earth-doped fibers for fiber
lasers.