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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
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Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics
Published on: April 24, 2014
Metasurface-controlled high-speed tunable external cavity lasers
Zahra Basiri1,2, Alessandro Tomasino1,2, Gabriel Jülg1,2
1Hybrid Photonics Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015, Switzerland.
Science Advances
|August 7, 2026
Summary
We developed a new tunable laser using an electro-optic metasurface for ultrafast, motion-free wavelength control. This compact laser offers high-speed frequency tuning and amplitude modulation for advanced optical applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Engineering
- Semiconductor Lasers
- Metamaterials
Background:
- Tunable lasers are critical for optical communication, spectroscopy, and sensing.
- Conventional tuning methods face limitations in speed, stability, and integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel external cavity semiconductor laser with ultrafast frequency and amplitude control.
- To demonstrate a compact, motion-free tunable laser platform using an electro-optic metasurface.
Main Methods:
- Incorporation of a resonant electro-optic metasurface as the external mirror.
- Utilizing voltage control for tuning across a wide current range.
- Demonstration of mode-hop-free linear frequency tuning and intensity modulation.
Main Results:
- Achieved mode-hop-free linear frequency tuning rates up to 180 THz/s.
- Demonstrated frequency excursions of 110 MHz with a 10-V RF drive.
- Obtained intensity modulation efficiencies over 100% at 4 V near threshold.
Conclusions:
- Electro-optic metasurfaces enable compact, high-speed, mode-hop-free tunable lasers.
- This technology is suitable for free-space communication, ranging, and spectroscopy.
- The developed laser overcomes limitations of conventional tuning approaches.
