Multiwavelength fiber laser using S-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier and semiconductor optical amplifier

A multiwavelength fiber ring laser that is based on an S-band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is developed. An optical switch is used to switch the multiwavelength fiber laser between S-band and L-band. This fiber laser can stably lase seven wavelengths in the S-band or 28 wavelengths in the L-band. Additionally, the lasing wavelengths with a signal-to-noise ratio of over 33 dB and a wavelength spacing of 100 GHz are demonstrated experimentally. The average powers of the lasing wavelength in the S-band and the L-band are −7.53 and −12.15 dBm, respectively.     

Semiconductor laser diode to single-mode fiber coupling using diffractive optical elements

An integrated mode converter consisting of two diffractive optical elements (DOEs) and a Silicon slab is presented for low-loss coupling between a semiconductor laser diode (LD) and a single-mode fiber (SMF). The phase structures of the DOEs are designed using iterative phase retrieval algorithm. We introduce a new far-field amplitude constraint into the iteration to provide very high mode conversion quality. Compared with previously published mode converters, the scheme is more universal because it’s applicable for any semiconductor LD. In simulation, coupling losses lower than 0.02 dB are predicted for all the discussed LDs with aspect ratios of the elliptical fields from 1 to 9. The requirements on axial displacement and rotation angle have been removed. The tolerance for 1-dB loss increment for lateral misalignment is 0.9 μm. And the coupling loss is insensitive to tilt angle.     

Four distributed feedback laser array integrated with multimode-interference and semiconductor optical amplifier

Monolithic integration of four 1.55-μm-range InGaAsP/InP distributed feedback (DFB) lasers using varied ridge width with a 4×1-multimode-interference (MMI) optical combiner and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is demonstrated. The average output power and the threshold current are 1.8 mW and 35 mA, respectively, when the injection current of the SOA is 100 mA, with a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) exceeding 40 dB. The four channels have a 1-nm average channel spacing and can operate separately or simultaneously.     

Transient dynamics of a single-mode semiconductor laser subjected to both optical feedback and external light injection

The transient dynamics of a single-mode semiconductor laser subjected to both weak optical feedback and light injection is studied. Even at detuning values for which injection locking is not effective, turn-on jitter and frequency jitter can still be strongly reduced by adjusting either the length of the external cavity or the detuning.     

Multiwavelength fiber ring laser using a gain clamped semiconductor optical amplifier

We demonstrate a novel multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on a gain clamped semiconductor optical amplifier. The number of lasing lines can be tuned by adjusting the loss inside the cavity. The wavelength interval between the wavelengths is 100 GHz. The proposed laser shows a stable operation with total intensity fluctuation for a single laser line within ±0.02 dB at room temperature for a period of 30-minutes.     

A novel actively and passively mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber ring laser

A novel actively and passively mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber ring laser was presented, where semiconductor optical amplifier provided cavity gain and introduced nonlinear polarization rotation, whereas, intensity modulator not only acted as modulator but also polarizer. The pulses with duration below 3 ps (FWHM) and peak power about 16 mW at a repetition rate of 10 GHz can be obtained in our system and the system stability may be enhanced. To investigate system parameters effects on mode-locked pulses, a theoretical model was developed.     

Numerical study of a harmonic mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber ring laser

An improved harmonic mode-locked Semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) fiber ring lasers has been presented and numerically investigated based on the self-reproduction theory. The numerical result shows that a narrower optical pulse train with a more symmetrical-temporal shape can be obtained, when the modulation SOA is DC biased on high current, whereas the gain SOA is DC biased on the low current functions as a gain compensator in the experimental setup. Also, the system parameters effects on the characteristic of the harmonic mode-locked pulse have been investigated.     

Passively mode-locked fiber laser based on nonlinear optical loop mirror with semiconductor optical amplifier

We propose a novel passively mode-locked fiber laser based on nonlinear optical loop mirror with semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). Its operation principle is based on the creation of a polarization asymmetry between the counter propagating beams, through the use of a SOA and a polarization controller in the loop. Stable pulse train with duration of 2 ns (FWHM) and repetition rate of 257.7 MHz has been experimentally obtained. Theoretical simulation results in well agreement with the experimental results are also presented.     

Switchable single-longitudinal-mode dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber ring laser incorporating a semiconductor optical amplifier

We propose and demonstrate a novel single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber ring laser incorporating a semiconductor optical amplifier. The SOA biased in its low-gain regime greatly reduces the gain competition of the two wavelengths. The stable SLM operation is guaranteed by a passive triple-ring cavity and a fiber Fabry-Perot filter. The dual-wavelength output with a 40 GHz wavelength spacing is switchable in the range of 1533-1565.4 nm.     

光纤环形外腔半导体激光器频偏特性研究

本文给出了在环形光纤外腔光反馈之下半导体激光器频偏特性的小信号分析理论.分析表明,尤其在千兆赫以下的调制频段中,耦合腔相移、内外腔光耦合强度及内外腔光场相位失谐对频偏功率比均有显著影响.可望用作强度调制直接检测高速率、长距离光纤通信系统中的光源.     

Multi-wavelength fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation in semiconductor optical amplifier and photonic crystal fiber

A nonlinear polarisation rotation (NPR) based multi-wavelength laser source is demonstrated using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The SOA acts as not only the gain medium but also the phase retarder for multi-wavelength oscillation in conjunction with an isolator. The incorporation of PCF improves the NPR effect and thus assists in the multiwavelength generation. The wavelength spacing reduces from 4.82 to 2.76 nm as the PCF length increases from 50 to 100 m. With a 100 m long PCF, the proposed laser produces at least 42 lasing wavelengths with optical signal to noise ratio of more than 10 dB.     

A graded-index fiber taper design for laser diode to single-mode fiber coupling

A tapered graded-index fiber (GIF) structure is, for the first time, proposed for the efficient fiber-laser coupling. A simple analytical approach based on the ABCD law is utilized to optimally design the parameters of the hemispherically-ended GIF taper. A wide-angle beam propagation method is then employed to compute the fiber mode fields transmitted through the fiber taper in order to evaluate the coupling efficiency. By taking one commercially available GIF as an example, the effectiveness of the new design reported here is verified with a demonstration of high coupling efficiency of nearly 90%.     

Wavelength-tunable optical pulse generation from a fiber ring laser with a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier

This work describes, for the first time, wavelength-tunable optical pulse generation from a fiber ring laser with a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier. The optical signal to noise ratio of this fiber laser is higher than 49 dB over the wavelength-tunable range of 16 nm. Performance of this fiber ring laser operated at different wavelengths is also discussed.     

Multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on a chirped moire fiber grating and a semiconductor optical amplifier

A simple and cost-effective multi-wavelength fiber ring laser based on a chirped Moire fiber grating （CMFG） and a semiconductor optical amplifier （SOA） is proposed. Stable triple-wavelength lasing oscillations at room temperature are experimentally demonstrated. The measured optical signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） reaches the highest value of 50 dB and the power fluctuation of each wavelength is less than 0.2 dB within a 1-h period. To serve as a wavelength selective element, the CMFG possesses excellent comb-like filtering characteristics including stable wavelength interval and ultra-narrow passband, and its fabrication method is easy and flexible. The lasing oscillation shows a narrower bandwidth than SOA-based multi-wavelength fiber lasers utilizing some other kinds of wavelength selective components. Methods to optimize the laser performance are also discussed.     

10 GHz regeneratively mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber ring laser and its linewidth characteristics

A 10 GHz regeneratively mode-locked semiconductor optical amplifier fiber ring laser with a picosecond pulse duration was newly constructed, and the linewidth change of a longitudinal mode was measured for various laser cavity lengths using a delayed self-heterodyne detection method. The detected line shape was approximately Gaussian for cavity lengths of 3.4-171 m. This result indicates that the laser linewidth depends strongly on thermal or acoustic cavity length fluctuations. The linewidth was proportional to the inverse square root of the cavity length, and a linewidth of 1.7 kHz was obtained for a cavity length of 171 m.     

Distributed-feedback fiber laser with optical amplifier

A single-frequency all-fiber laser source operating at 1093 nm with an output power of more than 1 W is developed. A master oscillator-power amplifier configuration that comprises a distributed-feedback fiber laser and an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier is implemented. Some aspects of the stimulated Brillouin scattering specific to active fiber are discussed.     

Hybrid flat gain C-band optical amplifier with Zr-based erbium-doped fiber and semiconductor optical amplifier

An efficient gain-flattened C-band optical amplifier is demonstrated using a hybrid configuration with a Zirconia-based Erbium-doped fibre (Zr-EDF) and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The amplifier utilizes a two-stage structure with a midway isolator to improve flat gain characteristic and reduce noise figure. At input signal power of −30 dBm, a flat gain of 28 dB is obtained from wavelength region of 1530 to 1560 nm with gain variation of less than 4 dB. The noise figure is maintained below 11 dB at the flat-gain region. This amplifier has the potential to be used in the high channel count dense wavelength division multiplexing system due to its simplicity and compact design.     

Placement of optimized semiconductor optical amplifier in fiber optical communication systems

This paper deals with the placement of semiconductor optical amplifier for 10 Gb/s non-return to zero format in single mode and dispersion-compensated fiber link. We investigated post-, pre- and symmetrical power compensation methods for different positions of the SOA in fiber link. The effect of increase in signal input power for the three power compensation methods is compared in terms of eye diagram, bit error rate, eye closure penalty and output received power. It is found that the post-power compensation method is superior to pre- and symmetrical power compensation methods. Further, the effect of variation in length of the standard single mode fiber and dispersion-compensated fiber for three power compensation configurations has also been observed. The impact of eye closure penalty is observed for large transmission distances for different signal input powers.     

Distributed feedback laser action in an optical fiber by evanescent field coupling

Distributed feedback (DFB) laser action has been demonstrated in an optical fiber surrounded by a gain modulated dye solution of lower refractive index. The mechanism of feedback and gain is by evanescent wave interactions.     

Multimode semiconductor laser with selective optical feedback

We study a multimode semiconductor laser subject to moderate selective optical feedback. The steady state of the laser is destabilized by a Hopf bifurcation and exhibits a period-doubling route to chaos. We also show the existence of a heteroclinic connection between a saddle node and an unstable focus that can be associated with experimentally observed multimode low-frequency fluctuations. This heteroclinic connection coexists with a chaotic attractor resulting from the period-doubling process.