TUNABLE RING LASER BASED ON A SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL AMPLIFIER AT 1300 NM USING A SIMPLE WAVELENGTH SELECTION FILTER

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Laser Technology
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Tunable lasers are crucial for various applications requiring precise wavelength control.
• Existing tunable laser designs can be complex, costly, or difficult to operate.
• Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) offer a compact and potentially low-cost gain medium.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a simple, compact, and low-cost tunable ring laser.
• To develop a novel wavelength selection mechanism for improved tunability control.
• To evaluate the performance characteristics of the proposed tunable laser system.

Main Methods:

• The tunable ring laser was constructed using a commercial semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as the gain medium.
• An external wavelength filter cavity, analogous to the Littman configuration, was employed.
• A unique slit-displacement mechanism was utilized for wavelength selection, replacing the traditional mirror-tilting method.

Main Results:

• The demonstrated tunable ring laser achieved a full width half maximum (FWHM) wavelength tuning range of 45 nm.
• A high wavelength resolution of approximately 2 pm was obtained.
• The laser exhibited an output power of 2 mW with side mode suppression ratios (SMSR) ranging from 70-73 dB.

Conclusions:

• A simple, compact, and cost-effective tunable ring laser utilizing an SOA has been successfully demonstrated.
• The novel slit-displacement mechanism offers an advantageous and easily controllable method for wavelength tuning.
• The laser's performance metrics indicate its potential for applications requiring precise and tunable optical output.