High-power broad-band single-mode InGaAsP/InP superluminescent diode

An InGaAsP/InP separate-confinement double heterostructure having a broad gain profile was used to fabricate superluminescent diodes having high optical power (40 mW), a broad radiation spectrum (65 nm at half-width), and low percent modulation (<1%). Using a cw pump current of 150 mA, 1mW of superluminescence radiation was obtained at the exit from a single-mode optical fiber. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 25, 16–22 (August 12, 1999)     

Two-section InGaAsP/InP Fabry-Perot laser with a 12 nm tuning range

Wavelength tuning over a 12 nm range is obtained for a two-section InGaAsP/InP Fabry-Perot laser (λ=1.55 μm). The method used to vary the gain profile of the laser allows one to predict the range of possible wavelength tuning. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 23, 10–15 (March 26, 1997)     

Kalman filtering of tunable diode laser spectrometer absorbance measurements

A recursive Kalman time-series filter was applied to absorbance measurements obtained with a tunable diode laser spectrometer. The spectrometer uses frequency modulation spectroscopy and a nearinfrared diode laser operating at 1.604 μm to monitor the CO(2)-vapor concentration in a 30-cm absorption cell. The Kalman filter enhanced the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrometer by an order of magnitude when an absorbance of 6 × 10(-5) was monitored.     

Flow-velocity measurements with a laser diode array

To measure flow velocity, a new technique, laser diode array velocimetry, generates multiple laser spots (four or more) separated by short distances (20-100 mum) at the probe volume. Particles that pass through the probe volume generate a signal that is analyzed by a digital signal processor for frequency content. The product of frequency and laser-to-laser spot separation determines the velocity. Rotating wire and wind-tunnel experiments confirm the performance of the new technique. An error analysis showed that the uncertainties in the processed diode array velocimetry signal frequency were less than 0.3%, and uncertainties in the beam-to-beam separation were less than +/-0.05%.     

Multiwavelength discrimination and measurements of a two-gas mixture by use of a broadly tunable mid-infrared semiconductor laser

Spectroscopic detection of gases can be achieved by measuring a few species-specific absorption lines, requiring very accurate wavelength control. Alternatively, it can be achieved by using many wavelengths spread over a wide range; each wavelength need not be optimal spectroscopically, but all collectively form a unique fingerprint for the species of interest. Statistical regression can be used to quantify their concentrations. An experimental evaluation of this concept involved using a 3.1 microm broadly tunable Sb-based mid-IR laser to discriminate and measure mixtures of acetylene and water vapor with absorption spectral overlaps. As many as 30 wavelengths from approximately 3200 to approximately 3280 cm-1 were used to measure 5 x 5 combinations of the two-gas concentration. Statistical analysis of the results validates the concept. Each gas concentration was consistently and reliably measured without any problem of interference from the other. In addition, the method was sufficiently sensitivite to detect unusual discrepancies by use of statistical analysis. Optimization of the system's detection capability and its receiver-operating characteristics is demonstrated. The results suggest that the statistical multiwavelength broadband approach to detection of gas mixture can be a highly effective alternative to species-specific single-line spectroscopy.     

InGaAsP／InP PFBH激光器

采用Ｎ－ＩｎＰ衬底研制ＩｎＧａＡｓＰ／ＩｎＰ激光器和ＤＦＢ激光器在国内已报导过多次，本文介绍用Ｐ－ＩｎＰ衬底研制ＩｎＧａＡｓＰ／ＩｎＰ平面埋层异质结构激光器和ＤＦＢ－ＰＦＢＨ激光器，同时利用晶体生长和晶向的依赖关系，改进埋区的结构，使器件最高激射温度大于１００℃。     

On-line multicomponent trace-gas analysis with a broadly tunable pulsed difference-frequency laser spectrometer

The design and application of a novel automated room-temperature laser spectrometer are reported. The compact instrument is based on difference-frequency generation in bulk LiNbO(3). The instrument employs a tunable cw external-cavity diode laser (795-825 nm) and a pulsed diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm). The generated mid-IR nanosecond pulses of 50-muW peak power and 6.5-kHz repetition rate, continuously tunable from 3.16 to 3.67 mum, are coupled into a 36-m multipass cell for spectroscopic studies. On-line measurements of methane are performed at concentrations between 200 ppb (parts in 10(9) by mole fraction) and approximately 1%, demonstrating a large dynamic range of 7 orders of magnitude. Furthermore computer-controlled multicomponent analysis of a mixture containing five trace gases and water vapor with an overall response time of 90 s at an averaging time of only approximately 30 s is reported. A minimum detectable absorption coefficient of 1.1 x 10(-7) cm(-1) has been achieved in an averaging time of 60 s, enabling detection limits in the ppb range for many important trace gases, such as CH(4), C(2)H(6), H(2)CO, NO(2), N(2)O, HCl, HBr, CO, and OCS.     

Gain measurements of Fabry-Perot InP/InGaAsP lasers using an ultrahigh-resolution spectrometer

Measurements of the optical gain in a semiconductor laser using a 20 MHz resolution optical spectrum analyzer are presented for what is believed to be the first time. The high resolution allows for accurate gain measurements close to the lasing threshold. This is demonstrated by gain measurements on a bulk InGaAsP 1.5 microm Fabry-Perot laser. Combined with direct measurement of transparency carrier density values, parameters were determined for characterizing the gain at a range of wavelengths and temperatures. The necessity of the use of a logarithmic gain model is shown.     

Stress relaxation in InGaAsP/InP heterostructures for 1064-nm laser radiation converters

Technical Physics Letters - Specific features of mechanical-stress relaxation in InGaAsP/InP heterostructures for 1064 nm laser radiation converters have been studied. It is established that stress...     

MASERATI: a RocketBorne tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer

The MASERATI (middle-atmosphere spectrometric experiment on rockets for analysis of trace-gas influences) instrument is, to our knowledge, the first rocket-borne tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer that was developed for in situ measurements of trace gases in the middle atmosphere. Infrared absorption spectroscopy with lead salt diode lasers is applied to measure water vapor and carbon dioxide in the altitude range from 50 to 90 km and 120 km, respectively. The laser beams are directed into an open multiple-pass absorption setup (total path length 31.7 m) that is mounted on top of a sounding rocket and that is directly exposed to ambient air. The two species are sampled alternately with a sampling time of 7.37 ms, each corresponding to an altitude resolution of approximately 15 m. Frequency-modulation and lock-in techniques are used to achieve high sensitivity. Tests in the laboratory have shown that the instrument is capable of detecting a very small relative absorbance of 10(-4)-10(-5) when integrating spectra for 1 s. The instrument is designed and qualified to resist the mechanical stress occurring during the start of a sounding rocket and to be operational during the cruising phase of the flight when accelerations are very small. Two almost identical versions of the MASERATI instrument were built and were launched on sounding rockets from the And?ya Rocket Range (69 degrees N) in northern Norway on 12 October 1997 and on 31 January 1998. The good technical performance of the instruments during these flights has demonstrated that MASERATI is indeed a new suitable tool to perform rocket-borne in situ measurements in the upper atmosphere.     

High-sensitivity mid-infrared heterodyne spectrometer with a tunable diode laser as a local oscillator

A new mid-IR heterodyne spectrometer, which is intended to be applied for atmospheric and astrophysical studies, is presented. The spectrometer uses a frequency-stabilized tunable diode laser as a local oscillator. Owing to the low output power of available single-mode diode lasers, a newly developed confocal-ring resonator, the diplexer, is used to superimpose the source signal efficiently with that of the local oscillator. Additionally, the diplexer serves as an optical filter that establishes controlled optical feedback between the laser diode and the detector, which allows stable laser operation with linewidths of the order of 1 MHz. The heterodyne signal from the HgCdTe detector is analyzed by means of a 1.4-GHz acousto-optical spectrometer. With this setup we find system temperatures as low as 4400 K (double sideband), that is, approximately a factor of 6 of the quantum limit.     

The properties of InGaAsP/InP heterolasers with step-divergent waveguides

InGaAsP/InP laser heterostructures with step-divergent waveguides and two stressed quantum wells were obtained by metalorganic VPE. The lasers emitting at 1.55 μm provide for an intrinsic quantum yield of η_i=85%. An optical power of 5.2 W in the continuous operation mode was achieved at a laser diode temperature of 10°C. The internal optical losses in the laser heterostructure studied amount to 3.6 cm⁻¹, which is comparable with the level of losses in similar structures with uniform divergent waveguides.     

Coupled cavity InGaAsP/InP laser for synthetic optical coherence tomography and other applications

The authors describe widely tunable coupled cavity semiconductor lasers with sub-microsecond switching times between modes over the operating range of ˜100 nm. With appropriate modulation of injection currents and time averaging of the output, these devices provide short coherence lengths and can be an excellent source for synthesised optical coherence tomography (OCT). The depth resolution was found to be ˜15 mm for a 100 nm wavelength tuning range centred at 1580 nm. High-output power and brightness together with a short coherence length confers on these asymmetric multiple quantum well (AMQW) C³ laser some advantages over conventional sources for OCT. Also, a rapid wavelength switching capability allows the AMQW C³ lasers to be used in real-time OCT and other applications needing wavelength agile sources.     

High-temperature buried InP/GaInAsP heterostructure laser diode emitting at 1310 nm

As a continuation of our studies aimed at creating semiconductor lasers based on buried InP/GaInAsP heterostructures, we consider the design and fabrication aspects of 1310-nm laser diodes for operation at elevated temperatures. We report the key features of the fabrication process and parameters of the laser emitters at temperatures of up to 120°C, and present their power-current and spectral characteristics.     

Measurement of absolute distance employing a tunable CW dye laser

With a tunable CW dye laser oscillating in a single longitudinal mode, measurement of an absolute distance is demonstrated with the method of excess fractions. Five beams which have different wavelengths are emitted sequentially from the dye laser, and the interferometric phase is measured for each wavelength. An interferometric order number for a wavelength can be calculated from values of wavelengths and phases. Then a precise value of length is obtained. This method is similar to measuring distances by using group delay as used in VLBI and microwave ranging. The measured accuracy was within ±8.8 nm between 0 and 10 mm (at an absolute distance of 0.1-10.1 mm)     

Development of an IR tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer for trace humidity measurements at atmospheric pressure

The development of a laser diode absorption spectrometer that uses a strong water vapor absorption at 1393 nm is reported. Three spectroscopic techniques were compared in approximately 0.4 m of laboratory air, namely, frequency modulation, wavelength modulation, and two-tone frequency modulation spectroscopy. The first two techniques use a single-frequency modulation at 9.2 GHz and 1 kHz, respectively, generated either by a phase modulator operating at 9.2 GHz or injection current modulation at 1 kHz. The two-tone method requires modulation at two frequencies, in this case 9.19 and 9.21 GHz. It is shown that the two-tone method should provide the highest sensitivity for a trace moisture detection system.     

SPIRALE: a multispecies in situ balloonborne instrument with six tunable diode laser spectrometers

The balloonborne SPIRALE (a French acronym for infrared absorption spectroscopy by tunable diode lasers) instrument has been developed for in situ measurements of several tracer and chemically active species in the stratosphere. Laser absorption takes place in an open Herriott multipass cell located under the balloon gondola, with six lead salt diode lasers as light sources. One mirror is located at the extremity of a deployable mast 3.5 m below the gondola, enabling the measurement of very low abundance species throughout a very long absorption path (up to 544 m). Three successful flights have produced concentration measurements of O3, CO, CO2, CH4, N2O, NO2, NO, HNO3, HCl, HOCl, COF2, and H2O2. Fast measurements (every 1.1 s) allow one to obtain a vertical resolution of 5 m for the profiles. A detection limit of a few tens of parts per trillion in volume has been demonstrated. Uncertainties of 3%-5% are estimated for the most abundant species rising to about 30% for the less abundant ones, mainly depending on the laser linewidth and the signal-to-noise ratio.     

Stress-induced defect migration in InP/InGaAsP double-heterostructure wafers

A low luminescence efficiency ring, concentric with the circular electrical contact, has been observed on p-InP and p-InGaAsP (λ = 1.1 μm) epitaxial layers using cathodoluminescence imaging. This low efficiency region is found to be due to contact alloying. A mechanism based on the thermal migration of a defect in the strain field produced by the p-contact is proposed.