Semiconductor laser with extended cavity and intracavity atomic filter

We report on peculiar dynamic features of laser oscillation in a cavity with a semiconductor junction as the gain medium and an intracavity atomic absorber. The output face of the semiconductor is antireflection coated, and lasing action is achieved by using a diffraction grating to close the laser cavity. The spectral analysis of the laser emission evidences a stable emission with narrow linewidth when the oscillating frequency is resonant with the atomic absorber. We also observe frequency bistability and instability. The change between these regimes is controlled through the bias current in a very reproducible way.     

Dual-wavelength distributed Bragg reflector semiconductor laser based on a composite resonant cavity

We report a monolithic integrated dual-wavelength laser diode based on a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) composite resonant cavity. The device consists of three sections, a DBR grating section, a passive phase section, and an active gain section. The gain section facet is cleaved to work as a laser cavity mirror. The other laser mirror is the DBR grating, which also functions as a wavelength filter and can control the number of wavelengths involved in the laser action. The reflection bandwidth of the DBR grating is fabricated to have an appropriate value to make the device work at the dual-wavelength lasing state. We adopt the quantum well intermixing (QWI) technique to provide low-absorption loss grating and passive phase section in the fabrication process. By tuning the injection currents on the DBR and the gain sections, the device can generate 0.596 nm-spaced dual-wavelength lasing at room temperature.     

Dual-wavelength distributed Bragg reflector semiconductor laser based on composite resonant cavity

We report a monolithic integrated dual-wavelength laser diode based on a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) composite resonant cavity. The device consists of three sections, a DBR grating section, a passive phase section, and an active gain section. The gain section facet is cleaved to work as a laser cavity mirror. The other laser mirror is the DBR grating, which also functions as a wavelength filter and can control the number of wavelengths involved in the laser action. The reflection bandwidth of the DBR grating is fabricated to have an appropriate value to make the device work at the dual-wavelength lasing state. We adopt the quantum well intermixing (QWI) technique to provide low-absorption loss grating and passive phase section in the fabrication process. By tuning the injection currents on the DBR and the gain sections, the device can generate 0.596 nm-spaced dual-wavelength lasing at room temperature.     

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.     

Simple erbium-doped dual-ring fiber laser configuration for stable and tunable dual-wavelength output

We propose and experimentally investigate a stable and tunable dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber (EDF) dual-ring laser scheme. Here, two tunable bandpass filters (TBFs) are used inside the dual-ring gain cavity to generate dual-wavelength lasing. And, due to the gain competition of the EDF gain cavity, the mode-spacing (Δλ_s) of lasing dual-wavelength will be limited at different operating wavelengths. Hence, the minimum and maximum mode-spacing in the proposed EDF laser scheme are 0.75 and 15.35 nm in C-band range. Besides, the output performances of proposed fiber laser have also been studied and analyzed.     

Stable room-temperature multi-wavelength lasing oscillations in a Brillouin–Raman fiber ring laser

A stable room-temperature multi-wavelength Brillouin–Raman fiber laser with a ring cavity configuration was proposed and experimentally investigated. An obvious suppressant effect for unstable mode hopping of multi-wavelength lasing oscillations induced by deeply saturated effect was observed in the ring cavity configuration. Stable room-temperature multi-wavelength lasing oscillations with more than 30 lasing lines and wavelength spacing of 0.076 nm were obtained with only 250 mW Raman pump power and a section of high nonlinear fiber with a length of 1.5 km. The lasing output is so stable that the maximum power fluctuations for the foremost three Stokes lines over more than 20 min of observation were less than 0.30 dB. The lasing stability of the laser was also compared with a linear cavity configuration with the same gain components and pump conditions. While using the linear laser cavity configuration, obvious mode hopping was observed. The minimum value of the maximum power fluctuations at all lasing lines over more than 10 min of observation was more than 0.90 dB.     

Lasing mechanism in two-dimensional photonic crystal lasers

We conduct a comprehensive investigation of the lasing mechanism in a photonic crystal slab laser with a refractive index that is periodic in two dimensions. Experimental spectra of laser structures fabricated with organic gain media are presented. It is found that lasing frequencies can be explained in terms of Van Hove singularities in the density of modes. We also observe lasing spectra that cannot be obtained from structures with one-dimensional periodicity, such as traditional distributed feedback lasers. Lasing frequencies are computed using numerical techniques. Received: 7 April 1999 / Accepted: 12 April 1999 / Published online: 19 May 1999     

Brillouin lasing in a single-mode tellurite fiber

We demonstrate Brillouin lasing in a single-mode TeO(2)-Bi(2)O(3)-ZnO-Na(2)O tellurite fiber. A peak value of Brillouin gain coefficients of 1.6989 x 10(-10) m/W is measured on the basis of gain characteristics. An all-fiber Brillouin laser with a maximum unsaturated power of 54.6 mW at 1550 nm and a slope efficiency of 38.2% are achieved from a 200 m tellurite fiber by employing a ring cavity. In addition, a tunable Brillouin comb tellurite fiber laser is demonstrated.     

Self-tuned quantum dot gain in photonic crystal lasers

We demonstrate that very few (2-4) quantum dots as a gain medium are sufficient to realize a photonic-crystal laser based on a high-quality nanocavity. Photon correlation measurements show a transition from a thermal to a coherent light state proving that lasing action occurs at ultralow thresholds. Observation of lasing is unexpected since the cavity mode is in general not resonant with the discrete quantum dot states and emission at those frequencies is suppressed. In this situation, the quasicontinuous quantum dot states become crucial since they provide an energy-transfer channel into the lasing mode, effectively leading to a self-tuned resonance for the gain medium.     

Semiconductor optical amplifier-based laser with 25 km long cavity length utilizing sagnac fiber ring structure

In the investigation, we propose and demonstrate a Sagnac ring based fiber laser structure using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) to act as a gain medium with short to long fiber cavity lengths for wavelength lasing and tuning. Here, ten fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with different reflected Bragg wave-lengths are used serving as the reflected element in the proposed laser configuration for wavelength lasing and remote sensing simultaneously. Furthermore, the different cavity fiber lengths of a few ten m to 25 km, which are used in the proposed laser scheme, has been analyzed and discussed.     

Widely tunable Raman ring laser using highly nonlinear fiber

An all-optical widely tunable Raman fiber laser has been realized by incorporating a highly nonlinear fiber in a ring cavity. By feedback a portion of Raman Stokes wave back into the highly nonlinear gain medium, a Raman fiber laser is generated. We found that the lasing wavelength of Raman fiber laser can be tuned from 1537 to 1568 nm with peak power fluctuation within 1 dB, giving a total wavelength tunability of 31 nm. The optical signal-to-noise ratio is found to be wavelength dependent, and the highest optical signal-to-noise ratio of about 59 dB is recorded. The lasing threshold of the Raman fiber laser with this configuration is found to be as low as 300 mW.     

Multiwavelength pulse generation in semiconductor-fiber ring laser using a sampled fiber grating

A novel multiwavelength scheme has been demonstrated using a sampled fiber grating in semiconductor-fiber ring laser. By using semiconductor optical amplifier as an inhomogeneously broadened gain medium, three wavelength channels of 10 GHz are simultaneously generated. The number of the lasing channels can be changed through the polarization state adjustment in the cavity.     

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.     

Two-photon-pumped amplified spontaneous emission and cavity lasing of an organic dye HEASPS in PHEMA polymer

Two-photon-absorption (TPA)-induced upconverted amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and cavity lasing of a styrylpyridinium dye: trans-4-[p-(N-hydroxyethyl-N-ethylamino)styryl]-N-methylpyridinium p-toluene sulfonate (abbreviated as HEASPS) in poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (abbreviated as PHEMA) polymer were observed under a picosecond pump condition. The spectral and temporal behaviors of TPA-induced fluorescence, ASE and cavity lasing were studied. The cavity lasing with a total oscillation time of more than 200 ps was achieved when pumped with 1064-nm, 50-ps laser irradiation. The population inversion could persist for three times longer than the duration of the pump pulse. The gain coefficients of the dye-doped polymer at various wavelengths were calculated based on cavity lasing spectra and one-photon fluorescence spectra. PACS 78.20.Ek; 42.65.Ky; 42.65.Re; 78.47.+p     

Random lasing in freely suspended dye-doped nematic liquid crystals

Random lasing in fully disordered systems having organic and inorganic nature has been the subject of extensive studies since the beginning of the past decade. The interest mainly emerges from the unexpected role played by disorder in the laser action. The disorder was considered detrimental for the optical feedback in cavity laser, until it was demonstrated that multiple-scattering materials including a gain medium act as random laser. Here, a completely new approach is reported, where freely suspended complex fluid films doped with fluorescent molecules under optical excitation generate narrowband lasing peaks. The constellation of localized modes is selected by properly choosing the gain profile. The idea to have laser action in absence of mirrors and boundaries realizes an unparalleled tunable and moldable laser source.     

Gain recovery dynamics and photon-driven transport in quantum cascade lasers

Quantum cascade lasers are semiconductor devices based on the interplay of perpendicular transport through the heterostructure and the intracavity lasing field. We employ femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe measurements to investigate the nature of the transport through the laser structure via the dynamics of the gain. The gain recovery is determined by the time-dependent transport of electrons through both the active regions and the superlattice regions connecting them. As the laser approaches and exceeds threshold, the component of the gain recovery due to the nonzero lifetime of the upper lasing state in the active region shows a dramatic reduction due to the onset of quantum stimulated emission; the drift of the electrons is thus driven by the cavity photon density. The gain recovery is qualitatively different from that in conventional lasers due to the superlattice transport in the cascade.     

82-channel multi-wavelength comb generation in a SOA fiber ring laser

We demonstrate a multi-wavelength semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) fiber ring laser with a dual-pass Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter. Two SOAs with different gain spectra provide sufficient gain and a wider gain spectrum to facilitate multi-wavelength lasing. The dual-pass MZI, configured by adding an optical isolator to the two outputs of the conventional MZI, serves as comb filter for multi-wavelength operation, and its extinction ratio can be enhanced to twofold as that of the conventional MZI in the same parameters. To investigate the influences of a dual-pass MZI filter and a conventional MZI filter on multi-wavelength operation, two different cavity configurations are presented and compared, including a single-SOA ring cavity and a double-SOA ring cavity. Stable simultaneous operation at 82 wavelengths, with a wavelength spacing of 40 GHz and a power deviation of 5 dB, and with a minimum optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of 28 dB, is observed from the double-SOA ring cavity using a dual-pass MZI filter.     

Stable gain-switched 845 nm pulse generation by a weak 1550 nm seed laser

We report what we believe to be the first demonstration of stable gain-switched 845 nm pulse generation (Er(3+): (4)S(3/2)->(4)I(13/2) transition) by a weak modulated 1550 nm seed laser, from an Er(3+)-doped fluoride fiber pumped by a cw 974 nm laser diode. When the pump power of the 974 nm laser diode is set to a certain value, the injection of a weak (<1 mW) modulated 1550 nm seed laser into the 845 nm lasing cavity can depopulate the lower state (4)I(13/2) of 845 nm lasing, switch the gain to regulate the conventionally chaotic spiking, and generate stable synchronous 845 nm pulse trains with the repetition rate up to 100 kHz.     

Random semiconductor lasers: scattered versus Fabry-Perot feedback

As a result of growth imperfections, (Zn,Cd)O/ZnO quantum well structures exhibit random laser action. Fabrication of microresonators allows us to study and to compare directly cavity and scattered feedback. Our experimental and theoretical analysis shows that (i)?pure random lasing generally requires a larger gain than in the standard Fabry-Perot regime, (ii)?the presence of Mie scatterers in the semiconductor-based cavity does not substantially increase the lasing threshold, and (iii)?the random feedback creates a subtle modal gain distribution that might be of particular importance for the dynamical properties, both with and without Fabry-Perot cavity.     

Suppressing the preferential σ-polarization oscillation in a high power Nd:YVO_4 laser with wedge laser crystal

We observe the phenomenon of priority oscillation of the unexpected σ -polarization in high-power Nd:YVO 4 ring laser. The severe thermal lens of the σ -polarized lasing, compared with the π-polarized lasing, is the only reason for the phenomenon. By designing a wedge Nd:YVO 4 crystal as the gain medium, the unexpected σ -polarization is completely suppressed in the entire range of pump powers, and the polarization stability of the expected π-polarized output is enhanced. With the output power increasing from threshold to the maximum power, no σ -polarization lasing is observed. As a result, 25.3 W of stable single-frequency laser output at 532 nm is experimentally demonstrated.