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Semiconductor optical amplifier-based multi-wavelength ring laser utilizing photonic crystal fiber |
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| Authors: | SW Harun R Parvizi NS Shahabuddin Z Yusoff H Ahmad |
| Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering , University of Malaya , 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;2. Photonics Laboratory, Department of Physics , University of Malaya , 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia swharun@um.edu.my;4. Photonics Laboratory, Department of Physics , University of Malaya , 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;5. Faculty of Engineering , Multimedia University , 63100 Cyberjaya, Malaysia |
| Abstract: | A multi-wavelength laser source is demonstrated with a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as a gain medium. A multi-wavelength comb with equal spacing is achieved due to Fabry–Pérot modes of the SOA which oscillates in the ring cavity. A 100 m long photonics crystal fiber (PCF) is inserted in the ring cavity to provide a nonlinear gain by four-wave mixing (FWM) so that the output comb spectrum can be greatly broadened and flattened. The stability of the ring laser is also increased due to the efficient FWM phenomenon occurring in the PCF. The SOA-based laser can generate 35 lasing lines with equal spacing of 0.28 nm and extinction ratios of more than 30 dB at room temperature. The number of channels of the multi-wavelength laser can be controlled flexibly by changing the ratio of the coupler used in the ring cavity configuration as well as controlling the polarization state of the oscillating laser. |
| Keywords: | SOA-based laser multi-wavelength laser photonic crystal fiber semiconductor optical amplifier four-wave mixing effect |