Turn-on jitter of external-cavity semiconductor lasers

Analytical expressions, validated by numerical simulations, are obtained for the turn-on delay jitter of semiconductor lasers subjected to weak optical feedback in short external cavities. The results show explicitly that displacement of the external reflector on optical wavelength scales causes significant changes in the switch-on dynamics of the laser. It is found that more than a 400% increase of jitter can occur under certain circumstances. The demonstrated sensitivity of laser switch-on dynamics to reflector location is considered to be particularly relevant to the performance of packaged laser diodes