Multiple frequency measurement based on self-oscillating and subharmonic modulating of optically injected semiconductor laser

• Published in: Optics and laser technology Vol. 186; p. 112625
• Main Authors: Yu, Jiachen, Gu, Yiying, Zu, Shuai, Huang, Pengyuan, Wang, Jiaqi, Li, Xiaozhou, Zhao, Mingshan, Hu, Jingjing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2025
• Subjects: Fourier domain mode-locked; Multi-frequency measurement; Optically injected semiconductor laser; Subharmonic modulation; Multi-frequency measurement; Subharmonic modulation; Optically injected semiconductor laser; Fourier domain mode-locked
• ISSN: 0030-3992
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.112625

•A multi-frequency microwave detection via FDML self-oscillating and subharmonic modulation of optically injected semiconductor laser.•Period-one oscillation locking achieved through swept optically injected signal modulation.•Frequency-to-time mapping via pulse beating through narrow bandpass filter enhances precision.•System attains 8 MHz average accuracy for stable multi-frequency measurements. A multiple microwave frequency measurement system based on Fourier domain mode-locked self-oscillating and subharmonic modulating of an optically injected semiconductor laser is proposed. In this system, the microwave signal to be tested is modulated onto the sweeping optically injected signal, which lock the semiconductor laser in period-one oscillation state, completing a wide bandwidth and frequency fast tunable microwave photonic filter system. The time delay of self-oscillating cavity is an integral multiple of the frequency sweeping period of the optically injected signal to achieve the system operating in a Fourier domain mode-locked state, which enhances the stability of the generated period-one state signal. The signal to be tested oscillates in the system and beats with the generated signal to form pulses through a narrow bandpass filter completing the high-precision frequency-to-time mapping relationship. The feasibility of this system is discussed from theoretical perspectives and the frequency detected capability of this system is also tested in this paper. Ultimately, a stable multi-frequency measurement system is achieved with an average frequency detected accuracy of around 8 MHz.