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Wide Tuning Range Wavelength-Swept Laser With Two Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers.
1Harvard Medical School and Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114 USA.
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters : a Publication of the IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society
|July 24, 2010
Summary
We developed a high-speed wavelength-swept semiconductor laser using a polygon scanning filter. This laser achieves a wide 145 nm tuning range at 20 kHz, ideal for advanced optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Engineering
- Semiconductor Laser Technology
Background:
- Wavelength-swept lasers are crucial for applications like optical coherence tomography and spectroscopy.
- Existing lasers often face limitations in tuning range and speed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel high-speed wavelength-swept semiconductor laser with an extended tuning range.
- To present a laser architecture utilizing a shared polygon scanning filter for dual cavities.
Main Methods:
- A semiconductor laser design incorporating a polygon scanning filter common to two laser cavities.
- Achieving linear wavelength tuning through the polygon filter mechanism.
- Evaluating the laser's performance metrics, including tuning range and repetition rate.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a wide tuning range of 145 nm centered around 1310 nm.
- Achieved a high tuning repetition rate of 20 kHz.
- The filter design is expandable for incorporating multiple semiconductor optical amplifiers to further broaden the tuning range.
Conclusions:
- The developed laser offers a significant advancement in high-speed, wide-tuning-range semiconductor laser technology.
- The shared polygon filter architecture provides a scalable solution for future optical sensing and communication systems.
