High-performance phase locking of wide linewidth semiconductorlasers by combined use of optical injection locking and opticalphase-lock loop

The requirement for narrow linewidth lasers or short-loop propagation delay makes the realization of optical phase-lock loops using semiconductor lasers difficult. Although optical injection locking can provide low phase error variance for wide linewidth lasers, the locking range is restricted by stability considerations. Theoretical and experimental results for a system which combines both techniques so as to overcome these limitations, the optical injection phase-lock loop (OIPLL), are reported. Phase error variance values as low as 0.006 rad ² (500 MHz bandwidth) and locking ranges exceeding 26 GHz were achieved in homodyne OIPLL systems using DFB lasers of summed linewidth 36 MHz, loop propagation delay of 15 ns and injection ratio less than -30 dB. Phase error variance values as low as 0.003 rad² in a bandwidth of 100 MHz, a mean time to cycle slip of 3×10¹⁰ s and SSB noise density of -94 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset were obtained for the same lasers in an heterodyne OIPLL configuration with loop propagation delay of 20 ns and injection ratio of -30 dB     

Effects of structural parameters on the external optical feedbacksensitivity in DFB semiconductor lasers

External optical feedback sensitivity in distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers is analyzed with special attention to phase-shifted and complex-coupled lasers. The effects of various structural parameters such as coupling strength, facet reflectivity, and corrugation phase angle on external optical feedback sensitivity are studied. The λ/4 phase-shifted index-coupled DFB laser exhibits low external optical feedback sensitivity for large index-coupling coefficient and high facet reflectivity. Pure gain-coupled DFB lasers perform better than the phase-shiftless uniform index-coupled DFB lasers but worse than λ/4 phase-shifted index-coupled lasers with high coupling strengths. External optical feedback sensitivity of complex-coupled lasers depends significantly on the index-to-gain coupling ratio, the phase between the index and gain gratings, and the total coupling     

Analysis of the spectral linewidth of distributed feedback laser diodes

The spectral linewidth of distributed feedback (DFB) laser diodes is theoretically studied. Numerical calculation shows that DFB lasers with long cavity lengths and large coupling coefficients have very narrow spectral linewidth less than 1 MHz, The effects of the phase shift and mirror facets on the spectral characteristics of DFB lasers are also analyzed, It is shown that the phase-shifter further narrows the spectral linewidth of DFB lasers. Its numerical result and physical meaning are also shown.     

The stresses and photoelastic effects in stripe geometry GaAs-GaAlAs DH lasers with masked and selective thermal oxidation (MSTO) structure

We have analyzed the stress and photoelastic index distributions in GaAs-GaAlAs DH lasers with masked and selective thermal oxidation (MSTO) structure and have directly estimated the photoelastic index variation by a new method of Lloyd's mirror interference in a medium. We also studied their effects on the performances of this MSTO type of lasers and found its anomalous polarization characteristics, i.e., the output of the MSTO lasers consists of both TE and TM modes with nearly the same intensities which are out of phase. This phenomenon is explained qualitatively in view of the existence of the uniaxial stress component and antiwaveguide photoelastic index profile in the active region of the MSTO lasers.     

Theoretic research on mutual injection phase-locking of four fiber lasers

The theory of mutual injection phase-locking applied in two or three fiber lasers is extended in this paper.Four fiber lasers injected mutually by any two lasers are firstly modeled.And the four fiber lasers with the same frequency and coupling coefficient are numerically simulated.Simulation results show that with changing the initial phase difference between lasers,coupling coefficient and the initial amplitude,the locking phase difference between lasers would not maintain the same value.Therefore,an arra...     

Coherence-collapse threshold of 1.3-/spl mu/m semiconductor DFB lasers

The onset of the coherence-collapse threshold is theoretically and experimentally studied for monomode 1.3-/spl mu/m antireflection/high reflection distributed-feedback lasers taking into account facet phase effects. The variation of the coherence collapse from chip to chip due to the facet phase is in the range of 7 dB and remains almost independent of the grating coefficient. Lasers that operate without coherence collapse under -15-dB optical feedback, while exhibiting an efficiency as high as 0.30 W/A, are demonstrated. Such lasers are adequate for 2.5 Gb/s isolator-free transmission without under the International Telecommunication Union recommended return loss.     

An analysis of the linewidth and spectral behavior of DBR lasers

Using recently developed techniques for calculating the linewidths of lasers with arbitrary external feedback, we demonstrate that DBR lasers with long grating lengths can exhibit sharply reduced linewidths. We also discuss several effects of the dependence of the refractive index on carrier density such as the large sensitivity of the linewidth and threshold current to the roundtrip phase change in the active region. Such linewidth and threshold variations are especially pronounced for long grating lengths.     

两节分布反馈激光器的性能

详细讨论了两节(两电极)分布反馈(DFB)激光器的重要特性,其中包括调谐理论、频率调制响应以及频率交换速率。两节DFB激光器的调谐机理可根据波导光栅反射特性的基本相位和幅度来解释。波长调谐由不均匀电流注入的纯电子效应所引起。激光器的调制带宽由有源区中受激载流子寿命所决定。在激光器红移和蓝移静态调谐状态下,FM响应和频率交换是不同的。对高速FSK调制,激光器应偏置于蓝移状态下工作。FM响应的大小和相位变化影响激光器的高速频率交换。     

掩蔽与选择性热氧化条形GaAs—Ga_(1-x)Al_xAs DH激光器的偏振特性

本文研究具有掩蔽和选择性热氧化(MSTO)结构条形GaAs-Ga_(1-x)Al_xAsDH激光器的偏振特性,发现这类器件同时输出强度相近、相位无关的TE和TM模,不同于通常的半导体激光器主要是TE模输出的情况。本文从激光器有源区内应力分布和光弹性效应的观点,对此异常的偏振特性作出了定性解释。     

Laser linewidth requirements and improvements for coherent opticalbeam forming networks in satellites

A coherent optical beam forming network using phase-locked semiconductor lasers as sources is presented. For this scheme the spectral purity of the intermediate frequency derived from mixing the signals from two semiconductor lasers is considered. The relationship between the linewidths of the lasers in a satellite transmitter and the phase error at the detector of a microwave differential quaternary phase-shift keying earth station receiver is analyzed. The demands placed on the linewidths from the point of view of phase stability requirements are calculated using quaternary phase-shift keying modulation at data rates of 33 and 131 Mb/s. It is shown that a substantial improvement in performance can be achieved when phase locking the two lasers to each other is feasible     

Wavelength-tunable optical mixing experiments between 208 nm and 259 nm

Sum-frequency generation experiments in which the second harmonics of rhodamine and coumarin dye lasers are upconverted to the 208-234 nm by mixing with 1064 nm are described. The dye lasers were pumped by the second and third harmonics of a repetitively pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Both temperature-tuned and angle-tuned phase matching techniques were used with mixer crystals of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP). Tunable light from 246 nm to 259 nm also was generated by mixing the output of a coumarin laser with the 532-nm harmonic of the Nd:YAG laser. Peak powers between about 500 W and 10 kW were obtained, and both theoretical and experimental tuning curves have been determined for these processes. Limitations imposed by mode beating effects in the Nd:YAG laser and by the relatively broad linewidth of the dye lasers are discussed.     

Intensity dependence of the linewidth enhancement factor and itsimplications for semiconductor lasers

The linewidth enhancement factor is shown to become intensity dependent when the intraband relaxation effects responsible for nonlinear gain and index changes are incorporated in the theory of semiconductor lasers. The intensity dependence of the linewidth enhancement factor influences many laser characteristics such as the frequency chirp, the modulation response, the injection-locking range, and the phase noise. In particular, it leads to a power-independent contribution to the laser linewidth. Furthermore, for semiconductor lasers detuned to operate away from the gain peak, the nonlinear index changes can even lead to a rebroadening of the laser linewidth at high-output powers     

Noise characteristics in line-narrowed semiconductor lasers with optical feedback

Effects of optical-feedback-induced line-narrowing on low-frequency amplitude and phase noise of semiconductor lasers are reported. Free-running laser noise is compared with that of lasers operating with external mirror feedback. While less than 1 dB difference in the amplitude noise with and without feedback is observed, line-narrowed lasers exhibit 15?20 dB reduction in low-frequency wavelength instability, or phase noise.     

Analysis of radiation mode effects on oscillating properties of DFBlasers

The effects of radiation mode on the oscillating properties of distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with second-order corrugations are analyzed for designing a new type of DFB laser. A formulation based on the transfer matrix technique is applied to calculating Streifer's ζ-terms added to the coupled-wave equations. These terms represent the effects of radiation and evanescent modes. This formulation greatly simplifies the analysis of distributed resonance along multilayered waveguide structures with arbitrary-shaped second-order corrugations. The effects of vertical resonance are also incorporated into the formulation. Various types of DFB lasers with phase-shifted second-order corrugations are analyzed using this method. It is found that the phase shift and the blaze of the corrugations greatly affect the longitudinal mode selectivity. A new phase-shift DFB laser structure with two complementary blazing regions connected at the shift is proposed. It is demonstrated that this structure has small radiation loss resulting in low-threshold performance despite employing second-order corrugations     

M-ary FSK Performance for Coherent Optical Communication Systems Using Semiconductor Lasers

This paper describes the design and performance of anMary frequency shift keyed (FSK) signaling and demodulation scheme for an optical communication system using semiconductor lasers and heterodyne detection. Frequency or phase noise in semiconductor lasers causes spectral spreading, producing a nonzero linewidth laser signal. This degrades communication performance when compared to a system using an ideal laser with zero linewidth. We present estimates of the bit error rate (BER) performance ofM-ary frequency shift keying (FSK) with noncoherent demodulation in the presence of white Gaussian frequency noise and additive channel noise. This is typical of an optical system using semiconductor lasers and heterodyne detection. Estimates use the union-Chernoff bound with a simplified channel model to predict the effects of frequency noise. Two effects of frequency noise are identified: signal attenuation or suppression, and crosstalk. These cause an offset in the BER curve from the BER in the absence of frequency noise, and an error rate floor, respectively. The error rate floor is lower than previously predicted. When performance is not crosstalk limited,M-ary FSK is found to perform better than binary FSK with the same system bandwidth constraints, as would be predicted if ideal lasers are used. Theoretical results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations of the system.     

多模TEA CO_2激光位相复共轭的实验研究

本文报导了TEA CO_2激光在谐振吸收介质SF_6和增益CO_2介质中的多模位相复共轭效应。实验上我们获得了与单模情况相近的位相复共轭波反射率。     

基于光学零差偏振探测和锁相的合束激光偏振控制

激光偏振合束是提升窄线宽光纤激光亮度的重要技术,能实现多路激光的共孔径合束输出,同时维持较高的光束质量和线偏振态。文中探索和研究了基于线性锁相技术的合束激光偏振控制系统,详细分析和建立了光零差偏振检测物理模型和线性锁相控制环路的数学模型。利用高精度的光零差技术对合束激光的偏振相位进行检测,并通过快速实时反馈进行激光锁相,获得了输出功率为279 mW的线偏振态激光。锁相控制后,合束激光的偏振消光比达到19.3 dB,控制带宽高达39.6 kHz,剩余相位噪声为710-4 rad/Hz（1 Hz）和310-4 rad/Hz。当提高激光输出总功率达1 W时,偏振消光比维持在~15 dB,其限制因素在于光功率波动引入的相位噪声和光斑空间模式不匹配。     

Experimental relative frequency stabilization of a set of lasersusing optical phase-locked loops

A relative frequency stabilization technique using optical phase locking of miniature diode pumped Nd:YAG ring lasers is described. The master laser is RF phase modulated with a modulation index up to 7.4, and slave lasers are locked up to 21 master laser sidebands with a frequency stability better than 3 kHz     

两台多模激光场强度和相位的混沌同步

对空间耦合的两台多模激光场的强度和相位的动力学行为进行了理论分析.当系统的损失受到调制时,在一定的参数范围内,两台激光输出的总强度之间会出现很好的混沌同步,两台激光的对应模式之间也出现相应的混沌同步,但不同模式之间则是完全的混沌状态,每台激光的各个模式强度之间存在模式竞争现象.每台激光场不同模式的相位和相位差之间出现有趣的关系,与强度的混沌同步存在一定的联系.     

Reduction of optical phase noise in semiconductor lasers

There are several applications of highly coherent semiconductor lasers, especially in coherent optical-fibre communications systems and optical-fibre sensors. Optical phase noise is extremely important in these applications. Here we report preliminary results from a simple technique whereby phase noise in semiconductor lasers may be reduced. Initial results demonstrate a phase-noise reduction of typically 20 dB. Developments of the technique should permit reduction towards the shot noise limit.