Applications of the frequency locking effect in acousto-optic systems for control of optical radiation spectral composition

Abstract

A spectral optoelectronic system combining a collinear acousto-optic (AO) cell and positive electronic feedback is examined. The operation of this system in the generation mode and possibilities of practical application of the locking effect of the system’s self-oscillations for controlling the optical radiation mode composition of semiconductor lasers are studied. The design and test results of the new AO device, which can be treated as a time-domain optical demultiplexer, are described. This demultiplexer also applies the frequency locking effect. The demultiplexer model presented achieves the following characteristics: the wavelength spacing between channels is less than 0.6 nm; the channel passband width is 0.4 nm; the crosstalk attenuation between adjacent channels is more than 42 dB; insertion loss is less than 2 dB; and the optical tuning range of the demultiplexer corresponds to the AO filter tuning range, which is not less than one octave.