Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics
Published on: April 24, 2014
Simple, low-noise piezo driver with feed-forward for broad tuning of external cavity diode lasers
1Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA.
Abstract:
We present an inexpensive, low-noise (<260 μVrms, 0.1 Hz-100 kHz) design for a piezo driver suitable for frequency tuning of external-cavity diode lasers. This simple driver improves upon many commercially available drivers by incorporating circuitry to produce a "feed-forward" signal appropriate for making simultaneous adjustments to the piezo voltage and laser current, enabling dramatic improvements in a mode-hop-free laser frequency tuning range. We present the theory behind our driver's operation, characterize its output noise, and demonstrate its use in absorption spectroscopy on the rubidium D1 line.
Related Concept Videos
Zener Diodes
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...
The Ideal Diode
Diode: Forward bias
The behavior of a diode in forward bias...
Work Done on a System by External Force
In the presence of a non-conservative opposing force, like friction, some part of the work done...
Modeling of Diode Forward Characteristics

