Cost-effective tunable fiber laser based on self-seeded Fabry-Perot laser diode using a Sagnac loop reflector

We propose and demonstrate a simple configuration of wavelength-tunable fiber laser made up of a tunable band-pass filter, a Sagnac loop refiector, and a Fabry-Perot laser diode. Based on the self-seeded operation, the proposed fiber laser can obtain a single-longitudinal-mode output in the wavelength tuning range of 1544.69–1563.39 nm with tuning step of 1.34 nm. The performances of output power （-9 dBm）, optical side-mode suppression ratio （ 65.5 dB）, and power and wavelength stabilities are well exhibited.     

A Dual-Wavelength Cladding-Pumped Er^3＋/Yb^3＋ Codoped Fibre Laser System with More Than 2 W Output and Tunable Wavelength Spacing

A dual-wavelength laser system with wideband tunable wavelength spacing and more than 2 W output power is proposed and demonstrated. The operation principle of the laser system is based on the saturation gain characteristic of a cladding-pumped Era＋ /yba＋ co-doped fibre amplifier combining with a wideband tunable fibre laser with fiat power spectrum. The tuning range of the wavelength spacing is continuous within a 35 nm spectral range, and the power difference between both lasing wavelengths can be easily adjusted and controlled by a variable optical attenuator. The total output power can approximately keep unchangeable when the wavelength spacing and the power difference between both lasing wavelengths are continuously tuned and changed. The maximum total output power of the laser system is about 2.22 W.     

Broadly Tunable SOA-Based Active Mode-Locked Fibre Ring aser by Forward Injection Optical Pulse

We present a broadly tunable active mode-locked fibre ring laser based on a semiconductor optical amplifier （SOA）, with forward injection optical pulses. The laser can generate pulse sequence with pulsewidth about 12ps and high output power up to 8.56 dBm at 2.5 GHz stably. Incorporated with a wavelength-tunable optical bandpass filter, the pulse laser can operate with a broad wavelength tunable span up to 37nm with almost constant pulsewidth. A detailed experimental analysis is also carried out to investigate the relationship between the power of the internal cavity and the pulsewidth of the output pulse sequence. The experimental configuration of the pulse laser is very simple and easy to setup with no polarization-sensitive components.     

16-channel dual-tuning wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer

A 16-channel dual tuning wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer based on silicon on insulator platform is demonstrated, which is both peak wavelength tunable and output optical power tunable. The wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer consists of an arrayed waveguide grating for wavelength division multiplexing/demultiplexing, a heater for peak wavelength tuning and a variable optical attenuator based on p–i–n carrier-injection structure for optical power tuning. The experimental results show that the insertion loss on chip of the device is 3.7 dB–5.7 dB and the crosstalk is 7.5 dB–9 dB. For the tunability of the peak wavelength, 1.058-nm wavelength tunability is achieved with 271.2-mW power consumption, and the average modulation efficiency is 3.9244 nm/W; for the tunability of the optical power, the optical power equalization is achieved in all 16 channels, 20-dB attenuation is achieved with 144.07-mW power consumption,and the raise/fall time of VOA is 35 ns/42 ns.     

A Stable 2012.1 nm Single-Longitudinal-Mode Tm：YAG Ceramic Laser with Volume Bragg Grating and Fabry-Perot Etalon

We demonstrate a stable single longitudinal mode Tm：YAG ceramic laser operating at a single wavelength of 2012.1 nm. The single-longitudinal-mode Tin： YAO ceramic laser is obtained by employing volume Bragg grating as one cavity mirror and inserting a Fabry-Perot etalon into the laser cavity. A maximum single longitudinal mode output power of 165roW with a slope efficieney of 6.6% is achieved under the pump power of 5.02 W. The laser has a beam quality of M2 = 1.18 at the maximum single longitudinal mode output power.     

All-fiber ring-cavity based frequency swept laser source for frequency domain OCT

<正>We develop a high-speed tunable,quasi-continuous-wave laser source for frequency domain(FD) optical coherence tomography(OCT).The laser resonance is realized within a unidirectional all-fiber ring cavity consisting of a fiber coupler,two fiber isolators,a semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA),and a fiber FabryPerot tunable filter(FFP-TF) for frequency tuning.Light output from the coupler is further amplified and spectral shaped by a booster SOA terminated at both ends with two isolators.The developed laser source provides up to 8000 sweeps per second over a full-width wavelength tuning range of 120 nm at center wavelength of 1320 nm with an average power of 9 mW,yielding an axial resolution of 13.6μm in air and a maximum sensitivity of about 112 dB for OCT imaging.The instantaneous linewidth is about 0.08 nm,enabling OCT imaging over an axial range of 3.4 mm in air.For optimization consideration based on this custom-built swept laser,experimental study on imaging quality relevant parameters of the swept laser with sine and ramp driving waveforms to the FFP-TF is conducted,and investigation of the swept laser on the cavity length is done.Implementing the laser source in our established swept source based OCT(SS-OCT) system,real-time structural imaging of biological tissue is demonstrated.     

Room—Temperature A1GaAsSb／InGaAsSb Multi—Quantum—Well Lasers with High Chraracteristic Temperature

Planar structure A1GaAsSb/InGaAsSb lasers operated at 2.01/zm with high characteristic temperature have been fabricated from a strained multiple quantum-well heterostructure. To decrease the free carrier induced absorption of optical mode in the mid-infrared, we design a broaden waveguide layer in the laser structures to decrease the optical mode distribution in the heavy doped cladding layer, therefore it can be absorbed easily. To enhance the characteristic temperature of laser diodes, A1 constituent up to 80% was applied to the A1GaAsSb cladding layer. The laser diodes with a threshold current density of 1.8 kA/cm2 can be pulsed operating up to 340 K. The characteristic temperature To is 125 K and 90 K in the operating temperature ranges 170-220 K and 230-340 K, resDectivelv. The emission spectrum shows a multiple longitudinal mode.     

Mid—Infrared Optical Parametric Oscillator Based on All—Solid—State—Pumped Periodically Poled LiNbO

We report the tunable mid-infrared generation with a periodically poled LinbO3(PPLN).Using an all-solid-state pumped Nd:YVO4 laser as the pump source and a PPLN nonlinear crystal with grating periods of 28.2-30.8μm,we have achieved wavelength conversion in the 2.90-4.05μm spectral range by period tuning.The use of confocal cavity design has brought a compact,all-solid-state configuration with an average output powers of idler up to -200mW.The maximum power of 277mW was obtained at the wavelength of 3.35um.     

A 2.048μm Tm,Ho:GdVO4 Laser Pumped Doubly Resonant Optical Parametric Oscillator Based on Periodically Poled Lithium LiNbO3

A multi-grating periodically poled LiNb03 （PPLN） doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator （DROPO） pumped by a 2-ttm laser is demonstrated experimentally. Employing acousto-optically Q-switched Tm,Ho：GdV04 laser with pump pulse of 25ns and repetition rate of lOkHz as pump sources firstly, the noncritically quasi- phase-matched （QPM） tunable mid-IR output in 3.87-4.43 μm is produced. Wavelength tuning is achieved with crystal temperature tuning from 50-180^o C. When the incident average pump power is 3 W at 2.048μm, the total OPO output power of 195mW at wavelength 3.88μm is obtained, corresponding to optical-to-optical conversion efficiency up to 6.5%.     

Intracavity configuration for tuning and obtaining simultaneous dual-wavelength operation from CW Nd:YAG laser

In this letter, a thin slab of glass is used as Fabry–Perot etalon inside a cavity of a continuous wave (CW) Nd:YAG laser to change the behavior of its output longitudinal modes. The slab etalon is used as tuning element when it turns around the laser cavity axis. Two simultaneous longitudinal modes with a relatively wide tuning range from 5.83 MHz to 0.02 THz are obtained when the Nd:YAG laser is operated at moderate output power of about 120 mW. The mode structure of this configuration is modeled and simulated. Computer-generated diagrams are also presented schematically and compared with the experimental results.     

Erbium-doped CW and Q-switched fiber ring laser with fiber grating Michelson interferometer

The band-pass characteristic of fiber grating Michelson interferometer is analyzed, which acts as bothband-pass filter and Q-switch. An erbium-doped fiber ring laser based on fiber grating Michelsoninterferometer is implemented for producing single longitudinal mode CW operation with 5 MHz spectrallinewidth and up to 6 mW output power. In Q-switched operation, stable fiber laser output pulses withrepetition rate of 800 Hz, pulse width of 0.6 μs, average power of 1.8 mW and peak power of 3.4 W aredemonstrated. The peak power and average power of the Q-switched pulses are varied with the repetitionrate.     

Influence of Optical Feedback from Birefringence External Cavity on Intensity Tuning and Polarization of Laser

The characteristics of intensity tuning and polarization of He-Ne laser with optical feedback are studied. When the internal cavity length of the laser with birefringence optical feedback is tuned, not only does output intensity vary with laser frequency, but also the polarization periodically hops between two orthogonal directions. If the phase difference of birefringence is π/2, two polarization states Mternately oscillate and have equal bandwidths within the longitudinal mode spacing. The times of polarization flipping in the longitudinal mode bandwidth is proportional to the ratio of external cavity length to internal cavity length. The experimental results are explained, and the potential uses are also discussed.     

High performance of semiconductor optical amplifier available for cold atom physics research

We present a novel design of a compact, stable, and easy-adjustable semiconductor optical amplifier （SOA） system. This SOA system is capable of providing up to 560-roW laser power at the wavelength of 852 nm. For the continuous-wave （CW） seeding laser, the amplification gain can reach 18 dB. We add amplitude modulation onto the CW laser and measure the modulation amplification between seeding and output laser. The amplification gain remains constant within the frequency range from 10 Hz to 1 MHz. The whole system could work in ultra-stable condition： for CW seeding laser, the fluctuation of output power is less than 0.33% in several hours.     

Low-Threshold Mid-Infrared Optical Parametric Oscillator Using Periodically Poled LiNbO33

We report the generation of tunable mid-infrared optical pulses using all-solid-state pumped optical parametri coscillator in a periodically poled lithium niobate. Several ways were used to lower the threshold, resulting in a mean threshold as low as 6.5mW and an achievement of wavelength conversion in the 2.77-4.04μm spectral range. Continuous tuning range from 2.97 to 3.25μm was achieved. The maximum idler output power of 466mW at the wavelength of 3.41μm was obtained, which represents an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 19% from incident pump power to the idler output.     

Novel discretely tunable narrow linewidth fiber laser with uniform wavelength spacing

A novel configuration of the tunable fiber laser with uniform wavelength spacing in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) application is proposed.The ring type tunable fiber laser consists of an all-fiber comb filter which determines the wavelength spacing,and a piece of adjustable fiber grating to select the discrete lasing wavelength for DWDM application.The proposed all-fiber ring type tunable laser has potential application in the DWDM and other optical systems due to its advantages such as narrow linewidth,easy tuning,uniform wavelength interval,etc..     

Harmonically pump a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator to 1.13 GHz by a femtosecond 515 nm laser

We demonstrate a harmonically pumped femtosecond optical parametric oscillator(OPO)laser using a frequency-doubled mode-locked Yb:KGW laser at a repetition rate of 75.5 MHz as the pump laser.Based on a bismuth borate nonlinear crystal,repetition rates up to 1.13 GHz are realized,which is 15 times that of the pump laser.The signal wavelength is tunable from 700 nm to 887 nm.The maximum power of the signal is 207 m W at the central wavelength of 750 nm and the shortest pulse duration is 117 fs at 780 nm.The beam quality(M^2 factor)in the horizontal and vertical directions of the output beam are 1.077 and 1.141,respectively.     

Achieving single-lobed far-field patterns of broad area laser diode with external cavity feedback

We demonstrate a technique for single transverse mode operation of high-power broad area laser diode (BAL). In the experiment, the HR mirror is used as an external cavity mirror and the grating is used as a wavelength selective component. By tiling the HR mirror and the grating, the number of transverse modes oscillating in the cavity can be limited and the spectral bandwidth of the laser diode can be reduced. A single-lobed near diffraction-limited laser beam with the beam divergence (FWHM) of 0.43°, the spectral line-width of 0.7 nm and the output power of 350 mW are obtained. With the feedback, the power density of the output laser beam is increased 6 times in comparison with the free running.     

PUMP-TUNING KTP OPTICAL PARAMETRIC OSCILLATOR WITH CONTINUOUS OUTPUT WAVELENGTH PUMPED BY A PULSED TUNABLE Ti:SAPPHIRE LASER

We report on the implementation of a KTP optical parametric oscillator pumped by a pulsed tunable Ti:sapphire laser. Two major improvements were achieved, including the connection of the signal and idler tuning ranges and the high-output conversion efficiency through the signal and idler tuning ranges. Both in the signal and idler, the continuous output wavelength from 1.261 to 2.532μm was obtained by varying the pump wavelength from 0.7 to 0.98μm. The maximum output pulse energy was 27.2mJ and the maximum conversion efficiency was 35.7% at 1.311μm (signal).     

A Single-Longitudinal-Mode Dual-Wavelength cw Tm,Ho:GdVO4 Microchip Laser

A liquid nitrogen cooled dual-wavelength Tm,Ho：GdVO4 microchip laser is reported. The output dual wavelengths axe at 2038.9nm and 2050.1 nm. At each wavelength, the laser has a single longitudinal mode. The threshold power is nearly 20mW and the slope efficiency is 18.7%. The single longitudinal mode output power reaches 98mW, and the ratio of power is about 60% （2038.9nm） and 40% （2050.1 nm）.     

A Continuously Tunable Erbium-Doped Fibre Laser Using Tunable Fibre Bragg Gratings and Optical Circulator

A continuously tunable erbium-doped fibre laser （TEDFL） based on tunable fibre Bragger grating （TFBG） and a three-port optical circulator （OC） is proposed and demonstrated. The OC acts as a 100%-reflective mirror. A strain-induced uniform fibre Bragger grating （FBG） which functions as a partial-reflecting mirror is implemented in the linear cavity. By applying axial strain onto the TFBG, a continuously tunable lazing output can be realized. The wavelength tuning range covers approximately 7.00nm in C band （from 1543.6161 to 1550.3307nm）. The side mode suppression ratio （SMSR） is better than 50 dB, and the 3 dB bandwidth of the laser is less than 0.01 nm. Moreover, an array waveguide grating （AWG） is inserted into the cavity for wavelength preselecting, and a 50 km transmission experiment was performed using our TEDFL at a 10 Gb/s modulation rate.