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.     

Tunable 19 × 10 GHz L-band FP-SOA based multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber laser

We present a multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber ring laser incorporating a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and a Fabry-Perot semiconductor optical amplifier (FP-SOA). Because the gain of the SOA is depleted by an external injection optical signal, the SOA acts as a loss modulator. The FP-SOA serves as a tunable comb filter. The presented laser source can generate 19 synchronized wavelength channels with the extinction ratio of about 21 dB, each mode-locked at 10 GHz, and mode-locked pulse width is about 40 ps. Oscillation wavelengths band can be tuned by adjusting the bias current of the SOA, and wavelength spacing also can be changed by using a tunable optical delay line (ODL) or a temperature controller. The polarization-insensitive devices ensure that the output power is rather stable. This fiber laser has potential applications in longer waveband (L-band) within the low-attenuation window.     

基于半导体光放大器的非归零信号时钟恢复

提出了一种基于半导体光放大器加窄带光纤光栅滤波器,将非归零信号转换为伪归零信号,再把伪归零信号注入到主动锁模环行腔激光器进行时钟提取的非归零信号时钟恢复方案.利用该方案实现了10 Gb/s伪随机非归零信号的全光时钟恢复,对工作原理和结果进行了分析和讨论.实验证明该方案具有结构简单,调整容易,输出波形好的特点.     

用楔形柱面光纤微透镜耦合的1.3μm SOA组件

运用激光模式耦合理论分析了半导体光放大器(SOA)与单模通信光纤的连接损耗,并设计制作了楔形柱面光纤微透镜用来实现两者的模斑匹配,有效地降低了器件的光耦合损耗.本文介绍了楔形柱面光纤微透镜耦合的1.3 μm半导体光放大器(SOA)组件及其制作方法.该组件的最大增益不小于14 dB,其偏振灵敏度小于1 dB,增益波动不大于0.5 dB.     

An energy-efficient tie-type architecture for stable and wavelength-tunable SOA-based fiber laser

A new and energy-efficient tie-type architecture for stable and wavelength-tunable semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based fiber ring laser is proposed and experimentally investigated. Here, the tie-type laser configuration is constructed by two Sagnac fiber loops. The proposed laser also can extend the lasing wavelength to longer wavelength (L-band) even only the C-band SOA is used. The proposed tie-type architecture has >5 dB higher output optical power at bias current of 80 mA when compared with the single ring SOA-based fiber laser. In this measurement, the output power, wavelength tuning range, side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) and output stability of proposed fiber laser have also been analyzed and discussed.     

Multiple-Output Fiber-Ring Lasers and Amplifiers in a Hybrid CATV and ADSL Broadcasting Optical Fiber Communication System

In this article we propose two kinds of new fiber ring structure with a semiconductor optical amplifier. The first structure is a one-fiber-ring amplifier with an 8 × 8 fiber coupler and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The second fiber ring structure is a two-fiber-ring laser including an 8 × 8 fiber coupler, a 2 × 2 E/O modulator, and an SOA. The 14-output spectra of the fiber laser are measured. The gain coefficients of each port of the multiple-output-fiber-ring amplifiers are also measured. We apply these two kinds of fiber ring structures in a hybrid CATV and ADSL broadcasting optical fiber communication system. This application can develop a broadcasting system with large coverage area without using many laser diodes and optical amplifiers. The performance of such a system is also analyzed in this article.     

增益半导体光放大器的特性

为满足半导体光放大器（SOA）在光纤到户FTTH系统接入网中的广泛应用,提出了基于光纤光栅外腔反馈型GC-SOA结构的全光增益机制,窄线宽激光光源经可变衰减器、隔离器和光纤光栅注入到SOA中,SOA的输出光经隔离器和光纤光栅送至光谱分析仪,通过光纤光栅反馈输入SOA形成钳制激光。对GC-SOA的阈值特性、增益特性及开关特性进行分析,结果表明:当注入电流小于GC-SOA的阈值电流时,增益随注入电流的增加而增加;当注入电流大于GC-SOA的阈值电流后,其增益不再随注入电流的变化而变化,实现了SOA的增益稳定,使SOA的饱和输出功率得到了提高。     

Multiple-Output Fiber-Ring Lasers and Amplifiers in a Hybrid CATV and ADSL Broadcasting Optical Fiber Communication System

In this article we propose two kinds of new fiber ring structure with a semiconductor optical amplifier. The first structure is a one-fiber-ring amplifier with an 8 × 8 fiber coupler and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The second fiber ring structure is a two-fiber-ring laser including an 8 × 8 fiber coupler, a 2 × 2 E/O modulator, and an SOA. The 14-output spectra of the fiber laser are measured. The gain coefficients of each port of the multiple-output-fiber-ring amplifiers are also measured. We apply these two kinds of fiber ring structures in a hybrid CATV and ADSL broadcasting optical fiber communication system. This application can develop a broadcasting system with large coverage area without using many laser diodes and optical amplifiers. The performance of such a system is also analyzed in this article.     

Wavelength-spacing continuously tunable multi-wavelength SOA-fiber ring laser based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) which is used as a wavelength-spacing tunable comb filter in a fiber ring laser is built by employing an optical variable delay line (OVDL). Stable multi-wavelength semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-fiber ring laser based on an SOA and the MZI comb filter is achieved. Wavelength spacing can be continuously tuned by adjusting the OVDL and, as an example, multi-wavelength lasing with the wavelength spacing of 0.4, 0.8, or 1.6 nm is demonstrated. The output of the proposed multi-wavelength SOA-fiber ring laser is quite stable at room temperature and the output spectrum can be adjusted by controlling the bias current of the SOA.     

Generation of optical waveforms in 1.3-μm SOA-based fiber lasers

Passive optical waveform generation is obtained in fiber lasers using a 1.3-μm semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as the gain medium. Various waveforms, including square wave, staircase wave, triangular wave, pulse, and dark pulse are generated in SOA-based fiber lasers by adjusting intracavity polarization controllers. The passive waveform generation might be attributed to the SOA gain dynamics and the enhanced nonlinear interaction at the 1.3-μm zero dispersion wavelength of traditional single-mode fiber (SMF), as well as the interference effect between the two sub-cavities of fiber laser. With figure-8 cavity configuration, 1250th-order harmonic pulses have been successfully demonstrated. We have also obtained a free-running SOA-based fiber laser with 3-dB spectral width of 16 nm, and the center wavelength can be tuned over 45 nm range.     

Tunable 12×10 GHz mode-locked semiconductor fiber laser incorporating a Mach-Zehnder interferometer filter

A stable multiwavelength mode-locked semiconductor fiber ring laser incorporating a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) serves as an optically controlled mode-locking element due to gain exhaustion caused by external injected optical pulses. Another SOA severs as a constant-gain medium. A fiber MZI filter with a temperature control is incorporated into the fiber ring cavity to acquire a stable and tunable multiwavelength oscillation. Twelve wavelengths are synchronously mode-locked at 10 GHz, pulse width of mode-locked pulse are about 30 ps. Proposed multiwavelength mode-locked semiconductor fiber ring laser has some distinct advantages, such as simple and compact structure, easy integration, convenient tuning, good stability, potential high repetition rate operating, which has potential application in the future WDM communication system.     

Dual-cavity dual-output multi-wavelength fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation effect

We demonstrate a multi-wavelength fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) in dual-cavity configuration with two output ports. The laser employs a piece of erbium doped fiber (EDF) and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as the gain medium in a separate cavity. By incorporating PCF in the dual cavity the non-linear polarization rotation (NPR) effect is enhanced and thus higher output and more oscillating lasing can be achieved. The laser produces three strong lines with a spacing of 2.40 nm and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of more than 10 dB at 1535 nm region. Another output produces 8 lines of optical comb with a spacing of 0.54 at 1570 nm region.     

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.     

Multiwavelength fiber ring lasing by use of a semiconductor optical amplifier

A multiwavelength fiber ring laser obtained by use of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with a simple laser cavity configuration is reported. A Fabry-Perot filter was used in the fiber laser ring cavity to achieve more than 50 simultaneous wavelength lasing oscillations with a frequency separation of 50 GHz. The resulting stable broadband multiwavelength lasing operation was attributed to broadband and flat gain of the SOA, which has a gain flatness of 0.8 dB for more than 20 nm. The laser has a total output power of -3 dBm and a signal-to-spontaneous-noise ratio of 30 dB.     

在ITU波长上的多波长光纤激光器

实验演示了一种基于半导体光放大器的多波长光纤激光器,其输出波长在ITU的波长上。使用环形腔结构,应用光纤Fabry-Perot标准具来获得ITU波长间隔,同时获得了上百条激光谱线的输出,在60nm范围的功率波动小于5dBm。     

40-GHz wavelength tunable mode-locked SOA-based fiber laser with 40-nm tuning range

A 40-GHz wavelength tunable mode-locked fiber ring laser based on cross-gain modulation in a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is presented. Pulse trains with a pulse width of 10.5 ps at 40-GHz repetition frequency are obtained. The laser operates with almost 40-nm tuning range. The relationship between the key laser parameters and the output pulse characteristics is analyzed experimentally.     

Multiple Parameters Optical Sensing Using Fiber Ring Laser Based on Fiber Bragg Gratings and 1064 nm Semiconductor Optical Amplifier

Optics and Spectroscopy - In this paper, a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based 1064 nm fiber ring laser with 63.56&nbsp;dB optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is demonstrated. The...     

Generation of 10-GHz duty-cycle tunable square optical pulse in an SOA-based mode-locked fiber laser

We demonstrate the generation of 10-GHz optical square pulses by injecting a picosecond pulse train into an SOA-based mode-locked fiber laser. The novel scheme exploits nonlinear effects and gain saturation phenomenon in the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). This technique uses gain-compression dynamics between the input pulses and the generated ones in gain-saturated SOA to form square pulses. The center wavelength of the generated optical square pulse can be tuned from 1530 to 1570 nm by adjusting the center wavelength of the optical band pass filter (OBPF) in the SOA-based mode-locked fiber ring laser. The duty cycle of the output pulse can be tuned from 12.7 to 88.4%, which strongly depends on the input power and intra-cavity power.     

SOA-based fiber ring laser use in a photonic radio-frequency phase shifter

This investigation demonstrates the feasibility of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)—based fiber ring laser use in a photonic radio-frequency (RF) phase shifter. Experimental results indicate that a fiber ring laser can successfully replace an external pump laser in a photonic RF phase shifter. The RF phase shifter can be turned by adjusting the power of the fiber ring laser.     

A self-consistent model for a SOA-based fiber ring laser including the mode-locked pulse properties

In this paper, we present a self-consistent model of an optically mode-locked semiconductor fiber ring laser. The fiber laser uses a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as the gain medium, while mode-locking is achieved by its gain modulation, via an external optical pulsed signal. We solved the model analytically developing a novel technique, where we have assumed double saturation of the SOA by both the mode-locked and the externally introduced pulsed signal. The study revealed the locus of the laser parameters to achieve mode-locking. In particular, it was found that SOA gain and energy of the externally introduced signal are two critical parameters that must simultaneously set properly for exact mode-locking. Another outcome of our analysis is that the study of the chirp parameter should be carried out keeping the nonlinear terms of the SOA gain. We have also investigated a slightly detuning regime of operation that revealed a fast change of the mode-locking process.