VCSEL polarization modulation for pulse-per-second clock signal transfer in optical frequency distribution systems

In this paper, a novel vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) polarization modulation technique based on polarization switching due to thermal heating in a single transverse mode class 10 G VCSEL at 1 310 nm is demonstrated experimentally. The inherent orthogonal polarization switching of the VCSEL carrier with changing bias is exploited in the transmission of pulse-per-second (PPS) timing clock signal. Experimental results show that PPS pulse widths of 9.97 μs and 9.98 μs are measured for back-to-back analysis and over 3.21 km of G 652 urban fibre transmission, respectively. This work provides a novel alternative for adoption in optical frequency and time transfer applications.