Stable Single Longitudinal Mode Operation Research Articles

Broad, Tunable and Stable Single-Frequency Erbium Fiber Compound-Ring Lasers Based on Parallel and Series Structures in L-Band Operation

In this demonstration, we present two erbium-doped fiber (EDF) lasers, with series and parallel three sub-ring configurations, respectively, to achieve tunable channel output and stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) operation in the L-band range. Here, the fiber ring cavity contains the L-band EDF as a gain medium. Based on the measured results of the two quad-ring structures of the EDF lasers, tunable output bandwidth for the two lasers can be obtained from 1558.0 to 1618.0 nm simultaneously. All the 3 dB linewidths measured for both fiber lasers are 312.5 Hz over the effective wavelength output range. Furthermore, the related optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR), output power, output stabilities of the central wavelength and power, and equal output power range of the two proposed EDF lasers are also examined and discussed.

Switchable Dual-Wavelength Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser Based on Polarization-Maintaining Fiber Bragg Grating and Compound Cavity Filter

This paper presents experimental evidence regarding a novel switchable dual-wavelength thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL). Wavelength switching is achieved by combining a polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating (PM-FBG) with a polarization controller (PC). The three-coupler double-ring compound cavity (TC-DRC) structure, acting as a mode-selection filter, is designed to select a single longitudinal mode (SLM) from the dense longitudinal modes. This paper introduces the design and fabrication method of the TC-DRC filter and analyzes, in detail, the mechanism for SLM selection. The experimental results demonstrate that the designed filter exhibits excellent performance. By adjusting the PC, the TDFL achieves stable SLM operation at the wavelengths of 1940.54 nm and 1941.06 nm, respectively. The optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is superior to 65 dB. When the TDFL is tested at room temperature, there is no significant wavelength drift, and power fluctuations are less than 1.5 dB. The operation of the SLM is verified through the self-heterodyne method, and the laser maintains stable SLM states for both wavelengths after continuous operation for an hour. Furthermore, based on the phase noise demodulation method, the linewidths of both wavelengths are measured to be less than 10 kHz at the integration time of 0.001 s.

Auto-pump-depleted stable single-longitudinal-mode 1.5 μm source with the assistance of SHG.

To realize a stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) 1550-nm light source for the generation of non-classical states, a ring auto-pump-depleted singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) with the assistance of second-harmonic-wave generation (SHG) is designed and built in this Letter. A magnesium oxide doped periodically polarized lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) crystal and a lithium triborate (LBO) crystal are employed as the optical parametric downconversion (OPDC) and SHG crystals, respectively. Especially, the introduced SHG can firstly increase the loss difference between the lasing and non-lasing modes so that the dual-mode or multi-mode coupling in the achieved SRO can be effectively eliminated and the stable SLM operation is achieved. At the same time, the SHG will automatically adjust the output coupling efficiency of SRO, so as to achieve efficient conversion efficiency and auto-pump depletion of SRO. In addition, due to the SHG, it is easy to achieve the low-intensity noise multi-wavelength output for the stable SLM SRO. As a result, the output powers of the SLM 1550 nm and 775 nm are up to 4.05 W and 3.25 W, respectively, and the total optical conversion of the built SRO can achieve 45.58%. The presented method paves a way to develop a compact stable SLM multi-wavelength SRO, and the obtained SRO is further beneficial to develop compact continuous-variable non-classical light fields.

Stable narrow-linewidth single-longitudinal-mode thulium-doped fiber laser by exploiting double-coupler-based double-ring filter

A stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) was combined with a phase-shift fiber Bragg grating (PS-FBG), uniform fiber Bragg grating (UFBG), and a double-coupler-based double-ring (DCDR) filter. Mode selection was achieved by using a sub-ring cavity design. For the first time, the structure of the DCDR filter was used to select a single mode from dense longitudinal modes in a ring cavity TDFL. The theoretical analysis of the DCDR filter and the principle for achieving SLM operation are presented in detail. The experimental results demonstrated the exceptional performance of the proposed DCDR filter. Within the observation period of an hour, the maximum fluctuations of center wavelength and optical power are 0.02 nm and 0.47 dB, respectively. The linewidth of the lasing wavelength is 4.8 kHz and the relative intensity noise is below −129.48 dB/Hz at frequency above 2 MHz. The power scaling, slope efficiency, and threshold power of the TDFL were also investigated. The proposed SLM TDFL shows great potential for free-space optical communication applications.

Stepped-height ridge waveguide MQW polarization mode converter monolithically integrated with sidewall grating DFB laser.

We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a 1555-nm stepped-height ridge waveguide polarization mode converter monolithically integrated with a sidewall grating distributed-feedback (DFB) laser using the identical epitaxial layer scheme. The device shows stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) operation with the output light converted from TE to TM polarization with an efficiency of >94% over a wide range of DFB injection currents (IDFB) from 140 mA to 190 mA. The highest TM mode purity of 98.2% was obtained at IDFB = 180 mA. A particular advantage of this device is that only a single step of metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy and two steps of III-V material dry etching are required for the whole integrated device fabrication, significantly reducing complexity and cost.

Nanosecond pulsed single longitudinal mode diamond Raman laser in the 1.6 µm spectral region.

We demonstrate the first nanosecond pulsed single longitudinal mode (SLM) intracavity-pumped diamond Raman laser, to the best of our knowledge. The eye-safe coherent source at 1634 nm, which was converted from the actively Q-switched 1342 nm Nd:YVO4 laser, yielded 4.35 W of multimode average output power with a pulse duration of 6 ns and peak power of 29 kW. By exploiting the spatial hole burning free gain mechanism in the Raman media, stable SLM operation was observed at low output power (0.46 W) for the free-running case. Furthermore, by incorporating an etalon in the fundamental standing-wave cavity, the spectral linewidth of the fundamental field was suppressed substantially below the diamond Raman gain linewidth and slightly less than the free spectral range of the mm-scale Raman resonator. Thereby, a much higher SLM output power of 1.63 W was obtained with a pulse duration of ∼9 ns and a spectral linewidth of ∼77 MHz.

Single-Longitudinal-Mode Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser With Sub-kHz Linewidth Based on a Triple-Coupler Double-Ring Cavity

We propose and demonstrate a stable single-longitudinal mode (SLM) thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) with a Fabry- Pérot (F-P) fiber Bragg grating (FBG) filter and a triple-coupler based double-ring cavity (TC-DRC) filter. For the first time, this structure of TC-DRC filter is used to select a single mode from dense longitudinal-modes in a ring cavity TDFL. The design and fabricate methods of TC-DRC filter are revealed and the principle of SLM selection is also analyzed in detail. The experimental results demonstrated the good performance of the proposed filter. The central wavelength of proposed TDFL is 2049.49 nm and its OSNR is higher than 35 dB. There is no obvious wavelength drift during the test, and the power fluctuation is less 0.5 dB. The SLM operation is verified through the self-homodyne method, this laser can be stably maintained in a SLM state after operating for one hour under laboratory condition. In addition, the linewidth is measured less than 10 kHz based on the phase noise demodulation method.

Stable narrow-linewidth single-longitudinal mode laser by exploiting double subring resonator and self-injection loop

A single-longitudinal mode (SLM) erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) using all polarization-maintaining (PM) ring cavity is proposed and experimental demonstrated. A passive double subring resonator (PDSR) and a self-injection loop collectively utilized in the PM EDFL to exhibit an ultra-narrow linewidth, an ultra-high stability and a high optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR). The designed PDSR with an excellent mode selection capability, as an efficient mode-selecting element, guarantees the stable SLM operation and the high OSNR performance of the EDFL. The self-injection loop employed in the laser cavity narrows the linewidth and stabilizes the output performance of the proposed EDFL. The all-PM structure design can improve the output stability of the EDFL by suppressing the external disturbance effectively. In the SLM operating mode, the proposed EDFL presents an ultra-narrow linewidth of 362 Hz and a high OSNR of > 76 dB. In addition, the center lasing wavelength stability and the output power stability of the all-PM EDFL are 0.004 nm and 0.01 dB.

Research on the Asymmetric Corrugation-Pitch-Modulated HR-AR DFB Lasers With Sampled Gratings

A distributed feedback (DFB) laser for high-speed modulation with asymmetric corrugation-pitch-modulated (ACPM) grating structure and high-reflection and anti-reflection coating (HR-AR) coating is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally in this paper. The ACPM gating structure is fabricated by the reconstruction equivalent chirp (REC) technology, which is with low cost. The impact of the longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) effect and the facet phase on the characteristics of the ACPM DFB laser is discussed in detail. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed ACPM DFB laser can suppress the LSHB effect significantly. Comparing with the conventional HR-AR DFB laser, the ACPM DFB laser can achieve higher output efficiency, better single-mode yield, and wider modulation bandwidth. The modulation eye diagrams of HR-AR DFB lasers with different grating structures are also presented. The experimental results show that the LSHB effect in the HR-AR DFB laser with ACPM structure is suppressed effectively. The laser with ACPM structure fabricated by the REC technique has high slope efficiency, stable single longitudinal mode operation, and wide modulation bandwidth.

Long-term stable 850-Hz linewidth single-longitudinal-mode ring cavity fiber laser using polarization-maintaining fiber

A long-term stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) all polarization-maintaining (PM) compound-ring cavity fiber laser is reported. The results show that the PM fiber's strong ability to resist the environment disturbance allows finely designing the length of each secondary cavity in real time according to the main cavity under the laboratory environment, and then the effective longitudinal mode spacing can be sufficiently increased by accurately using the Vernier effect, so that the mode-hopping can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, the temperature compensation is used for asynchronously fine-adjusting each cavity length to follow the Vernier effect requirement more strictly. The mode-hopping-free SLM operation time of the packaged laser reaches 11 h. As far as we know, this is the longest SLM free running time of ring cavity fiber laser to date. The optical signal to noise ratio of the laser reaches 77 dB and the linewidth is less than 850 Hz with up to 50 mW maximum output power.

A widely tunable single-longitudinal-mode ytterbium-doped fiber laser based on fiber Lyot filter

A widely tunable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) ytterbium-doped fiber laser is experimentally demonstrated, which is achieved by combining a fiber Lyot filter and a saturable absorber in a ring cavity. Stable SLM operation from 1045 nm to 1076 nm is obtained by properly adjusting the polarization state. The output power reaches 7.5 dBm with a fluctuation of less than 2 dB. The optical signal-to-noise ratio is 42.5 dB with a fluctuation of less than 6 dB in this wavelength range.

Silicon-Micro-Ring Resonator-Based Erbium Fiber Laser With Single-Longitudinal-Mode Oscillation

In this paper, we propose and experimentally illustrate a wavelength-switchable erbium-doped fiber (EDF) dual-ring (DR) laser with stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) oscillation. In the experiment, a silicon-micro-ring-resonator (SiMRR) is applied in the proposed DR cavity for tuning different output wavelengths, when the birefringence loss is adjusted correctly. To compress the densely multilongitudinal-mode oscillations, the DR scheme together with a 2-m unpumped EDF-based saturable absorber is acted as the mode filter. The DR also can produce self-injection loop for an SLM operation. The wavelength tunability is between 1532.61 to 1557.98 nm and the measured 3-dB output linewidth is ∼22.5 kHz. Moreover, the output stabilizations of the proposed SiMRR-based EDF DR laser are also analyzed and discussed.

Theorical analysis of a monolithic all-active three-section semiconductor laser

We propose a novel semiconductor laser structure. It is composed of three cascaded active sections: a Fabry-Pérot laser section sandwiched between two gain-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) laser sections. We have modeled this multi-section structure. The simulation results show that compared with index- and gain-coupled DFB lasers, a significant reduction in the longitudinal spatial-hole burning can be obtained with the proposed device, and that this leads to a stable single longitudinal mode operation at relatively high optical power with a SMSR exceeding 56dB. Full Text: PDF ReferencesL.A. Coldren, "Monolithic tunable diode lasers", IEEE J. Select. Topics Quant. Electron. 6, 988 (2000) CrossRef O. Kjebon, R. Schatz, S. Lourdudoss, S. Nilsson, B. Stalnacke, L. Backbom, "30 GHz direct modulation bandwidth in detuned loaded InGaAsP DBR lasers at 1.55 [micro sign]m wavelength", Electron. Lett. 33(6), 488 (1997). CrossRef N. Kim, J. Shin, E. Sim, C.W. Lee, D.-S. Yee, M.Y. Jeon, Y. Jang, K.H. Park, "Monolithic dual-mode distributed feedback semiconductor laser for tunable continuous-wave terahertz generation", Opt. Expr. 17(16), 13851 (2009). CrossRef M.J. Wallace, R. ORreilly Meehan, R.R Enright, F. Bello, D. Mccloskey, B. Barabadi, E.N. Wang, J.F. Donegan, "Athermal operation of multi-section slotted tunable lasers", Opt. Expr. 25(13), 14426 (2017). CrossRef J.E. Carroll, J.E.A. Whiteaway, R.G.S. Plumb, "Distributed Feedback Semiconductor Lasers", Distributed feedback semiconductor lasers (IEE and SPIE, 1998). CrossRef H. Ghafour-Shiraz, Distributed Feedback Laser Diodes and Optical Tunable Filters (Wiley, 2003). CrossRef D.D. Marcenac, Ph.D dissertation (University of Cambridge, 1993). DirectLink L.M. Zhang, J.E. Carroll, C. Tsang, "Dynamic response of the gain-coupled DFB laser", IEEE J. Quant. Electr. 29, 1722 (1993). CrossRef W. Li, W.-P. Huang, X. Li, J. Hong, "Multiwavelength gain-coupled DFB laser cascade: design modeling and simulation", IEEE J. Quant. Electro. 36(10), 1110 (2000). CrossRef B.M. Mehdi, H. Rachid, in Proc. 3rd Intern. Conf. on Embedded Systems in Telecomm. and Instrument., Annaba, Algeria (2016). DirectLinkC. Henry, "Theory of the linewidth of semiconductor lasers", IEEE J.Quant. Electr. QE-18, 259 (1982). CrossRef K. Takaki, T. Kise, K. Maruyama, N. Yamanaka, M. Funabashi, A. Kasukawa, "Reduced linewidth re-broadening by suppressing longitudinal spatial hole burning in high-power 1.55-/spl mu/m continuous-wave distributed-feedback (CW-DFB) laser diodes", IEEE J. Quant. Electr. 39, 1060 (2003) CrossRef

Experimental Demonstration of the Distributed Feedback Semiconductor Laser With S-Bent Waveguide and Sampled Grating

A distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser based on s-bent waveguide and sampled grating is theoretically studied and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed laser operates with a high side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) when the bias current is changed from 50 to 130 mA. When the bias current is fixed at 130 mA, the SMSR is larger than 55 dB, which is benefit from the suppressed spatial hole burning, while the SMSR of the equivalent phase shifted DFB laser decreases to 39 dB. The wavelength spacing error between two proposed DFB lasers is measured to be 0.089 nm compared with the designed value. When temperature is increased from 20 °C to 42 °C, the presented DFB laser achieves stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) operation with SMSR >51 dB and the wavelength varies from 1562.24 to 1564.6 nm with a slope of 0.11 nm/°C. The s-bent waveguide and sampled grating can be fabricated simply by the common holography exposure and photolithograph technique resulting in a low cost. Besides, the wavelength accuracy and SLM yield can be improved significantly, which is very beneficial for the multiwavelength DFB laser array.

Single longitudinal mode diamond Raman laser in the eye-safe spectral region for water vapor detection.

We report a narrowband and tunable diamond Raman laser generating eye-safe radiation suitable for water vapor detection. Frequency conversion of a tunable pump laser operating from 1063 to 1066 nm to the second order Stokes component in an external standing-wave cavity yielded 7 W of multimode output power in the wavelength range from 1483 to 1488 nm at a conversion efficiency of 21%. Stable single longitudinal mode operation was achieved over the whole tuning range at low power (0.1 W), whereas incorporation of a volume Bragg grating as an output coupler enabled much higher stable power to be attained (0.5 W). A frequency stability of 40 MHz was obtained over a minute without active cavity stabilization. It was found that mode stability is aided via seeding of the second Stokes by four-wave mixing, which leads to a doubling of the mode-hopping interval. The laser was employed for the detection of water vapor in ambient air, demonstrating its potential for remote sensing applications.

A Novel Switchable and Tunable Dual-Wavelength Single-Longitudinal-Mode Fiber Laser at 2

A switchable and tunable dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) fiber laser in a 2- $\mu \text{m}$ region based on saturable absorber and self-injection locking is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The laser topology is based on the parallel connection of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) using a coupler to realize switchability and tunability by adjusting the cavity losses and the center wavelengths of FBGs, respectively. The saturable absorber and the self-injection locking ensure the stable operation of the laser at SLM. Dual-wavelength with the power-instability of $\sim 0.7$ dB, the wavelength drift of ±0.08 nm, and a tuning range of 6.7 and 2.7 nm is obtained. Stable SLM operation with linewidths of <9.1 MHz analyzed by the self-homodyne method is obtained. The proposed configuration has ingenious and compact structure and reliable performance, and will have promising applications in the fields of multi-parameter detection in gas sensing or new wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) communication systems.

Transient mode competition in directly modulated DFB semiconductor laser

A new effect of transient mode competition in directly modulated DFB laser based on equivalent phase-shift (EPS) technique is presented and studied. Since there are multi-order reflections in EPS structure and if the 0th order subgrating is properly designed, the transient lasing of 0th order will occur during the rising time of the injection current. As a result, transient mode competition between -1st order (main mode) and 0th order will occur accordingly. This can consume redundant carrier and suppress the transient relaxation oscillation, which may be applied in some areas like on-off switching modulation of DFB semiconductor lasers. As an example, an equivalent π phase shift (π-EPS) is carefully designed to realize the effect. In such a laser the 0th order wavelength is in the margin of the material gain region and the -1st order wavelength is around the gain peak, while the stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) operation of the -1st order is guaranteed. The simulation investigation is performed. Good results with suppressed relaxation oscillation and 1.25 Gb/s directly on-off modulation (32 dB extinction ratio) are demonstrated. We believe it provides a new kind of method for on-off switching with high extinction ratio and weak relaxation oscillation.

Dual wavelength single longitudinal mode Ytterbium-doped fiber laser using a dual-tapered Mach-Zehnder interferometer

This paper describes a dual wavelength single longitudinal mode (SLM) demonstration for a proposed ytterbium-doped fiber laser. A dualtapered Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) was inserted into the laser ring cavity setup to ensure a stable dual wavelength and SLM operation. The consequent dual wavelength lasing operation had a wavelength spacing of 0.94 nm and a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 50 dB, with the linewidth of this setup measured as 294.15 kHz. A stability test allowed for a measurement of max power fluctuation as less than 0.8 dB for each wavelength and which was indicative of a stable dual wavelength operation.

An Equivalent-Asymmetric Coupling Coefficient DFB Laser With High Output Efficiency and Stable Single Longitudinal Mode Operation

An equivalent-asymmetric coupling coefficient (EACC) distributed feedback laser (DFB) semiconductor laser with equivalent-half apodization grating (EHAG) structure is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time; the EHAG profile is equivalently realized by linearly changing the duty cycle of a sampled Bragg grating along the one half cavity, while that of the other half cavity is kept uniform. Compared with the equivalent-symmetric coupling coefficient DFB laser, the simulated intensity distribution of the EACC DFB laser shows that the light power is concentrated not only on near the phase-shift region and that the power at the front end is enlarged. Therefore, the longitudinal spatial hole burning may be reduced; the output efficiency and the single-mode stability may be improved. The experimental results show that the output power ratio between the front and rear facets is about 2.17 and the side-mode suppression ratios are over 50 dB when the injection current is in the range from 60 to 200 mA.

Parity-time-symmetric microring lasers.

The ability to control the modes oscillating within a laser resonator is of fundamental importance. In general, the presence of competing modes can be detrimental to beam quality and spectral purity, thus leading to spatial as well as temporal fluctuations in the emitted radiation. We show that by harnessing notions from parity-time (PT) symmetry, stable single-longitudinal mode operation can be readily achieved in a system of coupled microring lasers. The selective breaking of PT symmetry can be used to systematically enhance the maximum attainable output power in the desired mode. This versatile concept is inherently self-adapting and facilitates mode selectivity over a broad bandwidth without the need for other additional intricate components. Our experimental findings provide the possibility to develop synthetic optical devices and structures with enhanced functionality.