Generation of optimized wavelength-tunable optical pulse from an uncooled gain-switched Fabry–Perot semiconductor laser using optical amplifier as external light injection

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 281; no. 19; pp. 4971 - 4974
• Main Authors: Liu, Yuanshan, Zhang, Jianguo, Zhao, Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.10.2008; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; External light injection; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Gain-switched semiconductor laser; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Lasers; Low-cost ultrashort optical source; Optical communications; Optical telecommunications; Optics; Physics; Resonators, cavities, amplifiers, arrays, and rings; Semiconductor lasers; laser diodes; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Timing jitter; Uncooled Fabry–Perot laser; Gain-switched semiconductor laser; Timing jitter; Optical communications; Uncooled Fabry–Perot laser; Low-cost ultrashort optical source; External light injection; Pulse width; Uncooled detectors; Gain switching; Experimental study; Gain-switched semiconductor laser;External light injection;Timing jitter;Uncooled Fabry-Perot laser;Low-cost ultrashort optical source;Optical communications; Semiconductor lasers; Radiation sources; Optical communication; Optical amplifier; fs range; Optical pulse; ps range
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2008.06.051

We present a novel system design that can generate the optimized wavelength-tunable optical pulse streams from an uncooled gain-switched Fabry–Perot semiconductor laser using an optical amplifier as external light source. The timing jitter of gain-switched laser has been reduced from about 3 ps to 600 fs and the pulse width has been optimized by using our system. The stability of the system was also experimentally investigated. Our results show that an uncooled gain-switched FP laser system can feasibly produce the stable optical pulse trains with pulse width of 18 ps at the repetition frequency of 5 GHz during 7 h continuous working. We respectively proved the system feasibility under 1 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 5 GHz operation.