Low Noise Gain and Index Tailored External Cavity Laser Operating at 1310 nm for Performance Enhancements of IMDD Photonic Links

Abstract

A novel gain and index tailored (GIT) external cavity laser (ECL) is presented. The single frequency laser demonstrates high power operation in excess of 250 mW and shot noise limited relative intensity noise (RIN) at 100 mW. This laser source is an ideal source for intensity-modulated direct detection (IMDD) photonic links. Link budget analysis is completed based on measured RIN and optical power. The analysis demonstrates that there are significant radio frequency performance advantages to operating at higher optical power while maintaining low RIN.