Widely tunable, low linewidth, and high power laser source using an electro-optic comb and injection-locked slave...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Laser Physics
• Telecommunications

Background:

• Tunable laser sources are crucial for optical communications and spectroscopy.
• Existing tunable lasers often face limitations in power, linewidth, or tuning range.
• Electro-optic frequency combs offer a route to generating multiple coherent tones for laser stabilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel tunable, high-power, narrow-linewidth laser source.
• To leverage electro-optic frequency combs and distributed feedback (DFB) lasers for enhanced laser performance.
• To achieve wide spectral coverage within the C-Band for telecommunication applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an electro-optic frequency comb to generate a series of highly coherent optical tones.
• Employing three distributed feedback (DFB) slave lasers locked to the comb lines.
• Experimentally characterizing the laser's tuning range, output power, sideband suppression, and linewidth.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated approximately 1.25 THz (10 nm) of tuning centered at 192.9 THz (1555 nm) within the C-Band.
• Achieved an output power of approximately 100 mW (20 dBm).
• Obtained a sideband suppression ratio greater than 55 dB and a linewidth below 400 Hz across the entire tuning range.

Conclusions:

• The proposed laser architecture provides a scalable solution for high-performance tunable lasers.
• This approach enables significant spectral coverage with excellent optical properties.
• The technology holds potential for extension to broader optical spectral ranges, benefiting future optical systems.