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High-speed wavelength-swept semiconductor laser with a polygon-scanner-based wavelength filter
S H Yun1, C Boudoux, G J Tearney
1Harvard Medical School and Wellman Laboratories for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Blossom Street, BAR 718, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. syun@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
Optics Letters
|November 1, 2003
Summary
Ultrahigh-speed tuning of semiconductor lasers is achieved using a novel fiber-optic ring resonator and scanning filter. This breakthrough enables tuning rates over 1150 nm/ms, significantly advancing laser technology.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Laser Technology
- Optical Engineering
Background:
- Extended-cavity semiconductor lasers are crucial for various applications.
- Achieving ultrahigh-speed wavelength tuning in these lasers remains a significant challenge.
- Previous tuning rates were limited, hindering advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate ultrahigh-speed tuning of an extended-cavity semiconductor laser.
- To investigate a novel laser resonator design for enhanced performance.
- To achieve tuning rates significantly exceeding previous benchmarks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a unidirectional fiber-optic ring resonator.
- Employed a semiconductor optical amplifier as the gain medium.
- Incorporated a novel scanning filter based on a polygonal scanner.
Main Results:
- Achieved variable tuning rates up to 1150 nm/ms (15.7-kHz repetition frequency).
- Demonstrated tuning over a 70-nm wavelength span centered at 1.32 microm.
- Observed an instantaneous linewidth of <0.1 nm with 9-mW cw output power and low spontaneous-emission background (-80 dB).
Conclusions:
- The novel laser design facilitates ultrahigh-speed tuning, exceeding previous rates by over an order of magnitude.
- Self-frequency shifting in the semiconductor optical amplifier contributes to the enhanced tuning speed.
- The demonstrated performance opens new possibilities for applications requiring rapid wavelength agility.