Terahertz-bandwidth coherence measurements of a quantum dash laser in passive and active mode-locking operation

Eamonn Martin (1) , Regan Watts (1) , Laurent Bramerie (2) , Alexandre Shen (3) , Harry Gariah (3) , Fabrice Blache (3) , François Lelarge (3) , Liam P. Barry (1)

1 RINCE - Research Institute for Networks and Communications Engineering
2 FOTON - Fonctions Optiques pour les Technologies de l'informatiON
3 III-V Lab - Alcatel-Thalès III-V lab

This research carries out coherence measurements of a 42.7GHz quantum dash (QDash) semiconductor laser when passively, electrically and optically mode-locked. Coherence of the spectral lines from the mode-locked laser is determined by examining the radio frequency (RF) beat-tone linewidth as the mode spacing is increased up to 1.1THz. Electric field measurement of the QDash laser are also presented, from which a comparison between experimental results and accepted theory for coherence in passively mode-locked lasers has been performed.

Domaines: Optique / photonique

Eamonn Martin, Regan Watts, Laurent Bramerie, Alexandre Shen, Harry Gariah, et al.. Terahertz-bandwidth coherence measurements of a quantum dash laser in passive and active mode-locking operation. Optics Letters, 2012, 37 (23), pp.4967-4969. ⟨10.1364/OL.37.004967⟩. ⟨hal-00824414⟩