Frequency range extension of actively mode-locked lasers integratedwith electroabsorption modulators using chirped gratings

We have fabricated actively mode-locked lasers integrated with electroabsorption modulators and chirped gratings. A chirped grating with a large chirp rate of 1.45 Å/μm can be realized by using multiphase-shifted patterns. Short pulses of 4-6 ps were generated over a wide frequency range from 18.9-19.8 GHz. We observed jumps in the wavelength during detuning. These jumps arise from multiple lobes in the reflectivity spectrum. It is found that the wavelength jumps cause increases in the intensity noise. We showed that by reducing the grating length from 150 to 100 μm the sidelobes were suppressed and the detuning frequency range of over 1% could be realized. A smaller pulsewidth was obtained for the negatively-chirped gratings when compared to the positively chirped gratings     

Planar waveguide optical spectrum analyzer using a UV-inducedgrating

An optical spectrum analyzer is demonstrated using a UV-induced, chirped grating on a planar waveguide and a linear detector array. The grating provides both the dispersion with respect to wavelength and the imaging function. The spectral response has a full-width at half-maximum of 0.15 nm and a bandwidth of 7.8 nm. A chirp of -1.75 nm/cm and a 12-cm focal length were used. The design parameters are discussed in terms of the chirp, focal length and resolution. The wavelength dependence of the optimal chirp limits the resolution for small focal lengths. For longer focal lengths, the spotsize is diffraction limited and high resolution can be achieved with minimal fabrication complexity     

Microring-Resonator-Based Widely Tunable Lasers

We describe widely tunable lasers incorporating microring resonators. By using a double-ring-resonator-coupled filter, a wide wavelength tuning range is achieved with a low tuning current. A double-ring-resonator-coupled tunable laser has series-connected microring resonators in the laser cavity. A tuning range of 50 nm is achieved with injection current of less than 5.2 mA. This low injection current reduces the frequency drift caused by thermal transients to less than 5 GHz. We also describe an integrated filtered feedback tunable laser consisting of a Fabry–Perot (FP) laser and integrated filtered feedback sections. In this device, the filter section is removed from the laser cavity. The device exhibits a 24-nm tuning range with a side-mode suppression ratio of 50 dB. The frequency drift is less than 1 GHz because the longitudinal mode of the laser is mainly determined by the FP laser section. We have also developed a filter-free widely tunable wavelength converter by monolithically integrating a tunable laser and a wavelength converter based on a semiconductor optical amplifier. Wavelength conversion for a 10-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero signal is also demonstrated, tunable over a 40-nm range.      

Monolithically integrated multiwavelength sampled grating DBRlasers for dense WDM applications

For accurate control of the channel spacing in fabricating multiwavelength laser arrays or discrete multicolor lasers, we proposed a novel approach that exploits sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors to vary the laser wave length across the wafer. This approach can realize a set of lasers with a wavelength spacing that meets the ITU recommendations for dense wavelength-division multiplexing systems and a wavelength range that can cover up to 40 nm or more. The wavelength variation across an array is achieved by changing the sampling periods of the DBR mirrors from laser to laser. The accuracy on the channel spacing of sampled grating DBR laser arrays was shown to be the same as that of conventional distributed feedback or DBR laser arrays, but their wavelengths can be better controlled for the gratings are fabricated with single holographic exposure. Arrays of 21 lasers have been successfully fabricated and have around 0.8-nm wavelength spacing with a simple tuning mechanism     

Effect of Grating Parameters on Mode-Locked External Cavity Lasers

This paper deals with numerical solutions of actively mode-locked fiber grating semiconductor lasers using a time-domain solution of coupled wave equations and rate equations. Simulation of linearly chirped tanh apodized fiber Bragg grating (FBG) utilized in hybrid soliton pulse source (HSPS) shows an extreme increase in the mode-locking frequency range of HSPS. Our model predicts transform-limited pulses over a frequency range of 1.6 GHz (1.8–3.4 GHz) for this grating around a system operating frequency of 2.5 GHz, with a pulsewidth of 46 ps required for a practical soliton transmission system, whereas it ranges to about 1.3 GHz (2–3.3 GHz) for the linearly chirped raised-cosine flat top and 850 MHz (2.1–2.95 GHz) for linearly chirped Gaussian apodized. Furthermore, in this study, the effects of FBG parameters, such as peak reflectivity, grating length, grating chirp, and modulation index, on output of mode-locked HSPS are also described for the first time. The numerical results indicated that although pulsewidths decreased with the increase in grating chirp, shorter grating lengths gave shorter pulses, and the modulation index and peak reflectivity of the grating did not significantly affect the pulsewidths.      

Picosecond SESAM-based ytterbium mode-locked fiber lasers

Using semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors and a grating-pair dispersion compensator, we obtain reliable self-starting mode locking of a ytterbium (Yb) fiber laser tunable over 125 nm. The 980-1105-nm tuning range is achieved by optimization of nonlinear reflection and bandgap characteristics of the multiple-quantum-well saturable absorber and by proper engineering of the laser cavity. A short-length Yb-doped double-clad amplifier seeded with mode-locked Yb-fiber laser produces picosecond pulses with energy of 30 nJ (700 mW of average power). A compact version of the fiber laser was built using a Gires-Tournois compensator and short length (1-cm long) of highly doped Yb fiber. Using a novel semiconductor saturable abserver mirror based on GaInNAs structure, self-started 1.5-ps pulse mode-locked operation was obtained at 1023 nm with a repetition rate of 95 MHz. A mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser was also developed without using any dispersion compensation technique. Overall group-velocity dispersion was minimized by using highly doped Yb fiber in a compact amplifying loop cavity. Self-started mode-locked operation was obtained in 980-1030-nm wavelength range with a fundamental repetition rate of 140 MHz. Without using dispersion compensation, the lasers produced pulses in a range from 15 to 26 ps.     

Optical parametric amplification of femtosecond ultraviolet laser pulses

Broad-band amplification of femtosecond laser pulses using the scheme of noncollinear optical chirped pulse parametric amplification is modeled. The effect of two-photon absorption at the pump wavelength was also taken into account. The signal pulses range from 220 to 410 nm with pump pulses at 267, 248, and 213 nm. The best four crystals chosen among 12 possible ones are BBO, KDP, CLBO, and LB4. In an experiment, 30-fs laser pulses at 400 nm were amplified in a BBO crystal pumped by 267 nm pulses, exhibiting a single pass gain of 3550. The gain was found spectrally flat within the available 17-nm bandwidth of the signal pulse.     

Generation of coherent, femtosecond, X-ray pulses in the“water window”

We report experimental and theoretical results on high-harmonic generation with 25-fs laser excitation pulses. The shortest wavelength we observe, at 2.7 nm, is well within the “water window” region of X-ray transmission. In the case of all the noble gases, we obtain excellent agreement between theoretical predictions for the highest harmonic photon energy generated and our experimental observations. We also obtain excellent agreement between theory and experiment for the highest photon energy generated as a function of laser pulsewidth between 25 and 100 fs. Finally, we observe that the individual harmonic peaks near the cutoff are well resolved for positively chirped pump pulses, but are unresolved in the case of negatively chirped excitation pulses     

Polymeric 16×16 arrayed-waveguide grating router usingfluorinated polyethers operating around 1550 nm

A 16×16 arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) router with a channel spacing of 0.8 nm (100 GHz) operating around the 1550-nm wavelength has been fabricated using newly synthesized fluorinated polyethers. It has a good processibility and a high thermal stability up to 510°C. The propagation loss of the buried-channel waveguide is about 0.4 dB/cm at the 1550-nm wavelength. The on-chip insertion loss ranges from 5.5 to 11 dB and the crosstalk is less than -27 dB. The AWG router shows good cyclic rotation property of the wavelength channels with an error smaller than 0.03 nm     

Wavelength Modulation Over 500 kHz of Micromechanically Tunable InP-Based VCSELs With Si-MEMS Technology

Wavelength modulation over 500 kHz by a micromechanically tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) consisting of an InP-based half-VCSEL chip and a micromachined silicon-on-insulator chip with a concave movable mirror has been demonstrated for the first time. A peak power of 3.5 mW, a tuning range of 55 nm, and a side-mode suppression ratio of about 60 dB have been demonstrated.      

High-power CW deep-UV coherent light sources around 200 nm based on external resonant sum-frequency mixing

We report pure continuous-wave (CW) high-power (>100 mW) deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light sources emitting around 200-nm spectral region based on singly resonant sum-frequency mixing (SRSFM). Efficient DUV generation is made possible by use of a Brewster-cut CsLiB/sub 6/O/sub 10/ (CLBO) crystal near noncritically phase-matched (NCPM) condition for the SFM of 1-/spl mu/m output of neodymium lasers. The CW radiation of fifth-harmonic wavelength of a neodymium laser at 213 nm was generated by the SFM of enhanced 1064-nm radiation with single-passing 266-nm radiation produced by external-resonant frequency doubling of a 532-nm green laser. With 1.8 W of 266-nm radiation incident upon a CLBO crystal, as much as 180 mW of CW 213-nm power has been produced. The sub-200-nm CW radiation with 140-mW power has also been achieved by SFM of 1064 nm with 244-nm radiation from a frequency-doubled Argon-ion laser in the CLBO crystal operated near the NCPM condition.     

Broadband amplification of 800-nm pulses with a combination of negatively and positively chirped pulse amplification

It is experimentally proved that successive amplification of negatively and positively chirped laser pulses (NPCPA) counteracts the gain narrowing effect typical in chirped pulse amplification (CPA) lasers. The scheme is robust and easy to adopt to even petawatt (PW) level high power laser systems. As a demonstration, a multi-terawatt (TW) Ti:sapphire laser system was modified to the NPCPA. The bandwidth of the 150 mJ output pulses exceeds 50 nm without any additional spectral correction, which is 30% broader than those currently available from conventional CPA lasers. Moreover, the NPCPA scheme gives an opportunity to increase an intensity temporal contrast without any compromise in pulse energy.     

40 Gb/s Field-Modulated Wavelength Converters for All-Optical Packet Switching

We present a high-functionality photonic integrated circuit that performs field-modulated wavelength conversion. This device incorporates an on-chip sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector laser for wide tunability. Wavelength conversion is accomplished using a preamplified semiconductor optical amplifier photodiode receiver interconnected with a traveling-wave modulator to form a high-speed optical gate. This paper discusses the design and performance of this device, as well as its potential for optical packet switching applications. Error-free wavelength conversion is demonstrated at 40 Gb/s with 1–3 dB power penalty compared with back-to-back transmission over 22 nm of input and output tuning. Output extinction in all cases is greater than 9 dB, and conversion efficiency ranges from $-$2 to $-$ 6 dB over the tuning range. This device additionally demonstrates the capability for external 10 Gb/s modulation, which can be used for optical label encoding.      

Narrow linewidth, tunable Tm3+-doped fluoride fiberlaser for optical-based hydrocarbon gas sensing

Operation of an efficient continuous-wave (CW) thulium-doped fiber laser emitting at wavelength, λ=2.31 μm is reported. The fiber laser parameters are optimized with a view to ultimately producing a compact and efficient laser source for optical absorption based gas sensing. A number of fiber laser configurations are investigated to assess their suitability for narrow linewidth, tunable fiber laser operation emitting around λ=2.3 μm, which is a wavelength region of significant importance for hydrocarbon gas monitoring. Tuning ranges of 140 nm and linewidths of less than 210 MHz have been demonstrated with lasers with bulk external tuning grating. Preliminary hydrocarbon gas sensing investigation confirm the potential of this source for detection of ppb gas concentrations     

Demonstration of negative dispersion fibers for DWDM metropolitanarea networks

We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study, showing that a novel nonzero dispersion-shifted fiber with negative dispersion enhances the capabilities of metropolitan area optical systems, while at the same time, reducing the system cost by eliminating the need of dispersion compensation. The performance of this dispersion-optimized fiber was studied using different types of optical transmitters for both 1310- and 1550-nm wavelength windows and for both 2.5-and 10-Gb/s bit rates. It is shown that this new fiber extends the nonregenerated distance up to 300 km when directly modulated distributed feedback (DFB) laser transmitters at 2.5 Gb/s are used. The negative dispersion characteristics of the fiber also enhance the transmission performance in metropolitan area networks with transmitters that use electroabsorption (EA) modulator integrated distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, which are biased for positive chirp. In the case of 10 Gb/s, externally modulated signals (using either EA-DFBs or external modulated lasers using Mach-Zehnder modulators), we predict that the maximum reach that can be accomplished without dispersion compensation is more than 200 km for both 100- and 200-GHz channel spacing. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the capabilities of a nonzero dispersion-shifted fiber with negative dispersion for metropolitan applications     

Plasma-induced quantum well intermixing for monolithic photonic integration

Plasma-induced quantum well intermixing (QWI) has been developed for tuning the bandgap of III-V compound semiconductor materials using an inductively coupled plasma system at the postgrowth level. In this paper, we present the capability of the technique for a high-density photonic integration process, which offers three aspects of investigation: 1) universality to a wide range of III-V compound material systems covering the wavelength range from 700 to 1600 nm; 2) spatial resolution of the process; and 3) single-step multiple bandgap creation. To verify the monolithic integration capability, a simple photonic integrated chip has been fabricated using Ar plasma-induced QWI in the form of a two-section extended cavity laser diode, where an active laser is integrated with an intermixed low-loss waveguide.     

A novel electrically tunable dispersion compensation system

We propose a system for tuning with an electrical signal dispersion compensation over a broad range of transmission distances for different transmission bit rates. It is composed of chirped gratings and a phase modulator with an electrical modulation signal varying to achieve the tuning in the link length for which the dispersion is compensated. It is demonstrated that with fiber gratings and a phase modulator in the proposed configuration, a broader tuning range than with the prechirp technique is achieved. The influence of the fiber grating ripples in the system behavior is also considered     

Dispersion control over 150 THz with chirped dielectric mirrors

Ultrabroad-band chirped multilayer dielectric mirrors providing nearly constant negative group delay dispersion over the wavelength range of 640-950 nm and high reflectance between 590 and 970 nm are demonstrated. A key to this performance has been an improved design method, which also substantially reduces the computing time needed for ultimate optimization. The presented devices constitute an enabling technology for producing high-quality terawatt pulses in the sub-10-fs regime. The generation of 5-fs 0.1-TW pulses by using exclusively these mirrors as negative delay line demonstrates this potential     

Micromachined wavelength tunable laser with an extended feedbackmodel

We present here a miniaturized wavelength tunable laser with an extended feedback model for potential all optical network applications. The feedback model has been developed to study the wavelength tuning characteristics of the micromachined tunable lasers in the weak and medium feedback limits. The miniaturized tunable laser, having a size of 2 mm × 1.5 mm × 1 mm, is an integrated Fabry-Perot diode laser with a surface micromachined mirror and a butt coupled optical fiber. A wavelength tuning range of 16 nm is achieved by moving the micromirror laterally, which is done by driving an electrostatic comb drive attached to the three-dimensional micromachined mirror     

Grating-assisted codirectional coupler filter using electroopticand passive polymer waveguides

We propose and demonstrate a band-rejection filter based on grating-assisted forward coupling between an electrooptic (EO) polymer waveguide and a passive polymer waveguide. The passive polymer waveguide is used as a low-loss optical path, and the EO polymer waveguide is used for dropping the optical signal at a given wavelength. The grating is etched on top of the EO polymer waveguide, which satisfies the phase-matching condition for the power exchange between the two asynchronous waveguides. Using the grating with a period of 63.4 μm, we achieve significant power exchange between the two waveguides with a 3-dB bandwidth of 4.4 nm at a wavelength of 1533 nm. Next, we demonstrate that photobleaching may be effectively used as a permanent tuning method of the center wavelength in fabricating the proposed device. The center wavelength for the maximum coupling can be adjusted in a range of more than 25 nm by photobleaching without extra loss. Lastly, we investigate changes of the filter characteristics induced by poling and demonstrated wavelength tuning by the poling-induced EO effect