Hi,
Fiber amplifiers based on ytterbium- or neodymium-doped double-clad fibers can be used to boost the output power of 1-μm laser sources to very high levels of up to several kilowatts (→ high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers). The broad gain bandwidth is also suitable for the amplification of ultrashort pulses (→ ultrafast amplifiers); limitations arise from fiber nonlinearities such as the Kerr effect and Raman effect (see below). Single-frequency signals can also be amplified to high powers; in this case, stimulated Brillouin scattering usually sets the limits.
Neodymium-based amplifiers can also be used in the 1.3-μm spectral region, but with less favorable performance figures.