Simple method for determining the gain saturation coefficient of a distributed feedback semiconductor laser

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 130; no. 1; pp. 57 - 62
• Main Authors: Wada, Kenji, Akage, Yuichi, Marui, Hiromitsu, Horinaka, Hiromichi, Yamamoto, Nobuyuki, Cho, Yoshio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.09.1996; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Efficiency, stability, gain, and other operational parameters; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Gain saturation; Gain-switching; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Lasers; Optics; Physics; Pulse spectrum; Semiconductor laser; Semiconductor lasers; laser diodes; Gain-switching; Pulse spectrum; Gain saturation; Semiconductor laser; Semiconductor lasers; Saturation; Theoretical study; Numerical simulation; Pulsed lasers; Gain; Distributed feedback lasers
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/0030-4018(96)00214-3

A simple method for determining the gain saturation coefficient ε of a semiconductor laser utilizing the injection-modulated pulse therefrom is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. This method is based on numerical fittings for the spectral profile distortion for pulses due to the gain saturation. No other laser to be used to excite the laser under test nor any fast photodetector to detect the pulse is required provided that other characteristic parameter-values are known. Using this method, ε value of a 1.55 μm distributed feedback semiconductor laser is estimated to be 2.0 × 10 −23 m 3.