Flatly broadened mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a cascade of thulium-doped silica fiber amplifiers.

Highlights: [•] An all-fiber, silica-based supercontinuum source was developed. [•] Over 2.3W in the spectral band of ∼(1.7–2.7) μm was recorded. [•] 10dB spectral flatness from 1.95 to 2.52μm (span of 570nm) was demonstrated. [•] Tm-doped single-mode silica fibers were utilized as nonlinear and amplification media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]