Fiber optic laser device and light emitter utilizing the device

• US 4,358,851 A
• Filed: 02/28/1980
• Issued: 11/09/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Scifres, Donald R., Streifer, William, Burnham, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John D.
• Application Number:
  US06/125,415
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.15, 350/96.16, 350/96.17, 350/96.18, 350/96.29, 350/164, 350/166, 350/413, 350/416, 350/439, 350/165, 356/352, 331/94.5 C, 357/18, 372/6, 372/7, 372/97, 372/102
• US Class Current: 372/97
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29356 Interference cavity within a single light guide, e.g. between two fibre gratings G02B6/29347 - G02B6/2935 take precedence; evanescent coupling to a resonator cavity G02B6/29335
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29361 Interference filters, e.g. multilayer coatings, thin film filters, dichroic splitters or mirrors based on multilayers, WDM filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29368 Light guide comprising the filter, e.g. filter deposited on a fibre end G02B6/29359 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4215 the intermediate optical elements being wavelength selective optical elements, e.g. variable wavelength optical modules or wavelength lockers G02B6/4246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/146 using a fiber as external cavity

Abstract

A fiber optic device basically comprising an optical fiber/interference filter combination finds useful application in optical communication systems for wavelength selection or bandwidth selection from a multiwavelength light source or emitter. If the emitter is a semiconductor laser, the device may be also employed to provide single longitudinal mode control at the selected wavelength or bandpass.

Claims

1. A solid state laser capable of producing a controlled narrow wavelength of emission and including a radiation generating medium within a first optical cavity, a passive waveguide medium forming a second optical cavity, said cavities being optically coupled together, reflector means at the extremities of said caviies and at the point of their coupling, at least one of said reflector means being a narrow band reflector having a peak reflectivity within the gain spectra of radiation emission from said medium whereby a dual cavity is established selective of a narrow band of operating wavelengths.

2. The laser according to claim 1 wherein there is at least one additional optical cavity optically coupled to said second optical cavity.

3. The laser according to claim 1 wherein said laser produces a periodic optical pulse train, the pulses therein occurring at a time interval determined by the round trip propagation of radiation in said optical cavities.

4. The laser according to claim 3 wherein said time interval between said pulses may be varied by varying the effective length of at least one of said optical cavities.

5. The laser according to claim 1 including means to effectively vary the length of the optical path through said second optical cavity whereby the wavelength of said laser may be selectively adjusted.

6. The laser according to claim 1 wherein said passive waveguide medium comprises a single mode optical fiber.

7. The laser according to claim 1 wherein said passive waveguide medium comprises a multimode optical fiber.

8. The laser according to claim 1 including a micro collimating lens forming said second optical cavity, one of said reflector means being formed directly on said lens.

9. The laser according to claim 1 including a micro collimating lens within said second optical cavity, one of said reflector means being formed directly on said lens.

10. The laser according to claim 1 wherein the reflector means between said optical cavities has an aperture formed through a portion of said reflector means, said aperture being in alignment with said optical cavities whereby said laser will operate with lowest radiation loss in the region of said aperture and whereby stable fundamental transverse mode operation is achieved.