Stabilization of a multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser using a nonlinear silicon waveguide

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a multiwavelength erbium-doped fiber laser stabilized by four-wave mixing (FWM) in a nonlinear silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide. The optical gain was provided by an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, and the wavelength selectivity was achieved by a Fabry–Perot comb filter in the ring cavity. The FWM in the SOI waveguide was enhanced by applying a reverse-biased p-i-n diode structure to reduce free-carrier absorption. Making use of the nonlinearity of the SOI waveguide, a multiwavelength laser with six output wavelengths at 0.8 nm spacing was achieved. The power difference among modes was equalized within a range of 1.8 dB. The power fluctuation of each mode was stabilized to <0.65 dB during 20 min observation at room temperature.