| Summary: | This review is dedicated to recent advances in the study of bismuth-doped silica-based fibers, which are vital components for creating promising contemporary optical devices operating in the near IR region. The first part of the review summarizes features inherent to different types of bismuth active centers, such as photo- and thermally induced destruction and recovery, which are particularly of great interest with respect to the nature of luminescence in bismuth-doped fibers (BDFs). In addition, the review specifies the status and possible ways on how to improve the main characteristics of BDFs, moreover, the paper proposes the latest results regarding novel designs of BDFs and demonstrates recent progress in fiber lasers and amplifiers based on them, including bismuth lasers with record performance parameters, as well as compact and efficient broadband amplifiers. In conclusion, a short summary alongside with road-to-market perspectives of the developed active fibers are given.
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