Apparatus and method for stabilizing wavelength tunable laser

• US 9,088,130 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hong Sig, Kim, Tae Hwan, Oh, Wang Yuhl, Lim, Jae Guyn, Cho, Han Saem
• Primary Examiner(s): Maldonado, Julio J
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US13/845,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20130259073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1303 by using a passive reference, e.g. absorption cell H01S3/139 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/137 for stabilising of frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06216 Pulse modulation or generation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06821 Stabilising other output parameters than intensity or frequency, e.g. phase, polarisation or far-fields
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0687 Stabilising the frequency of the laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/141 using a wavelength selective device, e.g. a grating or etalon H01S5/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/146 using a fiber as external cavity

Abstract

An apparatus and method for stabilizing an output of a laser is provided. An optical amplifier oscillates light having a first wavelength band. A filter filters the light having the first wavelength band to output light having a second wavelength band narrower than the first wavelength band. The light having the second wavelength band may correspond to an output of a laser. To stabilize the wavelength center of the output laser, at least a portion of the light having the second wavelength band may be transferred to a fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) through a coupler. By performing feedback of a difference between the signal output from the FBG and a laser modulation signal, an offset corresponding to a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) operating parameter of a Fabry-Perot filter may be controlled to automatically stabilize the wavelength center.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to stabilize an output of a laser, the apparatus comprising:

an optical amplifier configured to oscillate light having a first wavelength band based on a laser modulation signal;

a filter configured to filter the light having the first wavelength band and output light having a second wavelength band narrower than the first wavelength band;

a reference signal generator configured to generate a reference signal by amplifying at least a portion of the light having the second wavelength band; and

a controller configured to minimize a time difference between the laser modulation signal and the reference signal using feedback of the time difference between the laser modulation signal and the reference signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter includes a Fabry-Perot mirror having a transparent condition configured to provide light having a narrow band wavelength corresponding to the second wavelength band.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the filter is a tunable Fabry-Perot filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the tunable Fabry-Perot filter is configured to change the transparent condition by oscillating the Fabry-Perot mirror using lead zirconate titanate (PZT).

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to:

compare a predetermined criterion to a differential of;

a time difference between the laser modulation signal and the reference signal, and

a difference in an oscillation time in a predetermined range of a normal operation of the laser; and

change an offset of the PZT when the comparison indicates the differential is less than or equal to the predetermined criterion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference signal generator is a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) configured to amplify at least a portion of the light having the second wavelength band corresponding to a characteristic value of the FBG to generate the reference signal.