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Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics

Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics

Published on: April 24, 2014

Single-mode, narrow-linewidth external cavity quantum cascade laser through optical feedback from a

Richard A Cendejas¹, Mark C Phillips, Tanya L Myers

¹Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. rcendeja@princeton.edu

|December 18, 2010

Summary

This study demonstrates a single-mode external-cavity (EC) quantum cascade (QC) laser with over 40 mW output power. This tunable laser achieves narrow linewidths, showing potential for advanced spectroscopic applications.

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Area of Science:

Quantum Optics
Laser Physics
Mid-Infrared Technology

Background:

Quantum cascade (QC) lasers typically exhibit multi-mode emission, limiting their use in applications requiring narrow linewidths.
External-cavity (EC) configurations offer a method to control laser emission modes.
Distributed feedback (DFB) QC lasers are an alternative but may have limitations in tunability.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a single-mode external-cavity (EC) quantum cascade (QC) laser using optical feedback.
To investigate the tunability and output power characteristics of the EC-QC laser.
To characterize the linewidth performance and compare it with existing QC laser technologies.

Main Methods:

An external-cavity was constructed using a partial-reflector to provide optical feedback to a Fabry-Perot QC laser.
The EC length and QC laser current were synchronously tuned to achieve mode-hop free operation.
Linewidth measurements were performed using varying integration times and compared to a DFB QC laser.

Main Results:

The EC-QC laser achieved stable single-mode emission, suppressing the multi-mode behavior of the original Fabry-Perot device.
Optical output powers exceeding 40 mW were recorded.
A mode-hop free tuning range of 2.46 cm⁻¹ was demonstrated, with measured linewidths as low as 480 kHz.

Conclusions:

The partial-reflector EC configuration effectively converts a multi-mode QC laser into a high-power, single-mode tunable source.
The achieved narrow linewidths and wide tuning range highlight the potential of this EC-QC laser design for spectroscopy and sensing.
This approach offers a viable alternative to DFB QC lasers for applications demanding precise wavelength control and narrow spectral output.