973 nm wavelength stabilized hybrid ns-MOPA diode laser system with 15.5 W peak power and a spectral line width below 10 pm

Abstract

A master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system for the generation of ns-pulses with high peak power, narrow spectral line width, and stabilized emission wavelength will be presented. The master oscillator is a distributed feedback (DFB) ridge waveguide (RW) laser. The tapered amplifier consists of one RW section and one flared gain-guided section. The DFB laser is operated in continuous wave mode and emits at 973.5 nm with a spectral line width below 10 pm. The RW section of the amplifier acts as an optical gate. The tapered section amplifies the generated optical pulse. An optical peak power of 15.5 W for a pulse width of 8 ns is obtained. The emission wavelength remains constant at all output power levels of the MOPA system for a fixed current into the DFB laser. The spectral power density of the ASE is 37 dB smaller than the lasing spectral power density. The spectral line width is smaller than 10 pm, limited by the resolution of the optical spectrum analyzer.