Optical Q-switching to generate ultra short pulses in diode lasers

• US 5,455,836 A
• Filed: 11/23/1994
• Issued: 10/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Hui, Rongqing, Makino, Toshi, Li, Guo P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John D.
• Application Number:
  US08/346,939
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 372/10, 372/23, 372/25, 372/26, 372/30, 372/44, 372/75, 372/96
• US Class Current: 372/25
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0608 controlled by light, e.g. optical switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0615 Q-switching, i.e. in which the quality factor of the optical resonator is rapidly changed
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06258 with DFB-structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/5063 operating above threshold

Abstract

A system for generating an ultra short optical pulse by pumping a semiconductor signal laser with an optical pulse from a semiconductor probe laser. The signal laser has dual segments each operated under different d.c. injection current levels. The probe laser is modulated with a pulsed input and the optical output thereof is coupled via optical means to the signal laser so as to Q-switch the latter. Optical pulses in the 65 ps range result.

Claims

1. A system for optically generating short width optical pulses comprising:

a first semiconductor DFB laser having a MQW active region to produce a laser output of a first wavelength in response to an injected current, said first laser having a common contact of one polarity and pair of isolated contacts of an opposite polarity;

means to provide separately adjustable injection current to each one of said pair of isolated contacts;

a second semiconductor DFB laser having an active region to produce a laser output of a second wavelength, said second wavelength being longer than said first;

means to provide a modulated input current to said second laser; and

optical transfer means between the active region of said first laser and the active region of said second laser whereby the first laser is pumped with the modulated output of the second.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, the first and second semiconductor lasers being prepared from a III-V alloy material.

3. The system as defined in claim 2, the III-V alloy material being InGaAsP/InP.

4. The system as defined in claim 3, the first DFB laser having a ridge waveguide for lateral optical confinement.

5. The system as defined in claim 4, the ridge waveguide having a transverse channel through the contact to form first and second isolated segments.

6. The system as defined in claim 5, the electrical resistance between the pair of isolated segments being greaer than 200Ω

.

7. The system as defined in claim 6 the first isolated segment being larger than the second with the free face of the first segment providing the output.

8. The system as defined in claim 7, the difference between the first wavelength and the second wavelength being in the range 5 to 50 nm.

9. The system as defined in claim 7 the free face of the first segment having an antireflective coating.

10. The system as defined in claim 4, the first DFB laser having a first order grating between the MQW and the ridge waveguide, the first order grating providing multiple Bragg modes.

11. The system as defined in claim 2, the III-V alloy material being InGaAs/InGaAsP/InP.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, the first and second lasers having means to control the temperature thereof.

13. A method of generating an ultra short optical pulse by Q-switching a DFB dual segment signal laser having an MQW with the optical output of a probe DFB laser, the method comprising:

operating the signal laser with first and second separately controllable injection current levels to each of said dual segments to generate an output of a first wavelength;

operating a probe DFB laser with a modulating current to produce optical pulses of a second wavelength; and

coupling the optical pulses from the probe laser to the signal laser so as to Q-switch the signal laser.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, the second wavelength being longer than the first wavelength.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, the difference between the second wavelength and the first wavelength being in the range 5-50 nm.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, the optical pulses from the probe laser being coupled to the cavity of the signal laser.