WO2007123334A1 - Wavelength tunable external cavity laser - Google Patents
Wavelength tunable external cavity laser Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2007123334A1 WO2007123334A1 PCT/KR2007/001931 KR2007001931W WO2007123334A1 WO 2007123334 A1 WO2007123334 A1 WO 2007123334A1 KR 2007001931 W KR2007001931 W KR 2007001931W WO 2007123334 A1 WO2007123334 A1 WO 2007123334A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- wavelength
- wavelength tunable
- external cavity
- laser diode
- semiconductor laser
- Prior art date
Links
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 60
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 48
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 28
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 239000002861 polymer material Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 claims 1
- 239000002210 silicon-based material Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 abstract description 13
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 abstract description 5
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000011162 core material Substances 0.000 description 6
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000004593 Epoxy Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000013500 data storage Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000005476 soldering Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910018487 Ni—Cr Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000003667 anti-reflective effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052804 chromium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000005253 cladding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000151 deposition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001312 dry etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910044991 metal oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 150000004706 metal oxides Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052759 nickel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001039 wet etching Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
- H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region
- H01S5/14—External cavity lasers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
- H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region
- H01S5/12—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
- H01S5/02—Structural details or components not essential to laser action
- H01S5/022—Mountings; Housings
- H01S5/023—Mount members, e.g. sub-mount members
- H01S5/02325—Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
- H01S5/06—Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium
- H01S5/0607—Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium by varying physical parameters other than the potential of the electrodes, e.g. by an electric or magnetic field, mechanical deformation, pressure, light, temperature
- H01S5/0612—Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium by varying physical parameters other than the potential of the electrodes, e.g. by an electric or magnetic field, mechanical deformation, pressure, light, temperature controlled by temperature
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a wavelength tunable external cavity laser, and more particularly, to a laser of which the wavelength of the output optical signal can be controlled using a reflection filter having a grating as an external cavity.
- a passive optical network (PON) based on WDM (hereinafter WDM-PON) carries out communication between a central station and subscribers through wavelengths which are allocated for each subscriber.
- a wavelength tunable external cavity laser has a simple structure for a semiconductor laser diode, and uses an external wavelength tunable Bragg-grating reflection filter.
- a hybrid integration method is typically used, in which a wavelength tunable Bragg-grating reflection filter and a semiconductor laser diode are mounted together on a waveguide platform.
- the present invention provides a wavelength tunable external cavity laser having a stable optical coupling efficiency and oscillation characteristics in which a wavelength tunable waveguide type Bragg-grating reflection filter and a semiconductor laser diode are optically coupled not by a passive alignment method but by an active alignment method using separate substrates.
- a wavelength tunable external cavity laser comprising: a semiconductor laser diode that outputs multi-wavelength optical signals and is mounted on a first substrate; and a wavelength tunable reflection filter that is mounted on a second substrate, outputs single wavelength optical signal among the multi-wavelength optical signals using resonance of a Bragg-grating having a predetermined period, and tunes the wavelength of the output single wavelength optical signal by varying the refractive index of the Bragg- grating.
- the semiconductor laser diode and the waveguide are actively aligned in the wavelength tunable external cavity laser, thereby increasing optical coupling efficiency and obtaining high optical output power.
- FlG. 1 includes a top view (a) and a side view (b) of a wavelength tunable external cavity laser in which a waveguide type Bragg-grating reflection filter and a semiconductor laser diode are mounted on a single platform;
- FlG. 2 includes a perspective view (a) of a waveguide type Bragg-grating reflection filter structure and a graph (b) of refractive index according to temperature;
- FlG. 3 includes a top view (a) and a side view (b) of a wavelength tunable external cavity laser where a semiconductor laser diode and a wavelength-tuneable Bragg- grating reflection filter are optically coupled using a coupling lens according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FlG. 4 includes a top view (a) and a side view (b) of a wavelength tunable external cavity laser where a semiconductor laser diode and a wavelength-tuneable Bragg- grating reflection filter are optically coupled without a coupling lens according to another embodiment of the present invention
- FlG. 5 illustrates the operation principle of the wavelength tunable external cavity laser according to an embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode
- a wavelength tunable external cavity laser comprising: a semiconductor laser diode that outputs multi-wavelength optical signals and is mounted on a first substrate; and a wavelength tunable reflection filter that is mounted on a second substrate, outputs single wavelength optical signal among the multi-wavelength optical signals using resonance of a Bragg-grating having a predetermined period, and tunes the wavelength of the output single wavelength optical signal by varying the refractive index of the Bragg- grating.
- FlG. 1 includes a top view (a) and a side view (b) of a wavelength tunable external cavity laser in which a waveguide type Bragg-grating reflection filter and a semiconductor laser diode are mounted on a waveguide platform.
- An front facet 201 of the semiconductor laser diode 200 is anti-reflection (AR) coated, and a rear surface 202 is high-reflection (HR) coated.
- AR anti-reflection
- HR high-reflection
- the oscillation wavelength of the resonance is determined by the reflection band of the Bragg-grating 110.
- an additional heater for adjusting phase can be added.
- the semiconductor laser diode 200 is passively aligned and mounted using a flip-chip bonding method on a waveguide platform 100 in which the Bragg-grating reflection filter 103 is integrated.
- the optical coupling efficiency is determined by the far-field angle of the output light of the semiconductor laser diode 200.
- an optical coupling efficiency of up to about 40 % can be obtained using a far-field angle of 20 degrees or less.
- FlG. 2 includes a perspective view (a) of a waveguide type Bragg-grating reflection filter structure and a graph (b) of variation of refractive index according to temperature.
- the wavelength tunable Bragg-grating reflection filter 103 forms a waveguide
- Bragg-grating 110 having a predetermined period in a core region 100, and uses a thermo-optic effect by having a thin-film heater 101 deposited in the upper portion of an overclad 104.
- the grating can be formed by wet or dry etching a portion of the core region, using an ultraviolet reactive core material having a periodically varying refractive index.
- the Bragg-grating 110 is formed by etching the waveguide core region 100 at periodic intervals.
- Thin-film heaters 101 and 102 are formed by depositing metal such as Cr, Au, Ni,
- the waveguide platform is formed of a polymer material having a negative thermo-optic coefficient on a silicon substrate 106, and includes a wavelength tunable Bragg-grating 110 and a phase controlling heater 102.
- Optical signals output from a semiconductor laser diode 200 are actively aligned through an optical coupling lens 204 with the Bragg-grating reflection filter 103.
- the semiconductor laser diode 200 is mounted on a substrate 205 and cap-sealed for hermetic-sealing (207). [46] A lead-frame 206 for driving the semiconductor laser diode 200 and the semi- conductor laser diode 200 are wire-bonded.
- the axis of light emitted from the semiconductor laser diode 200 is actively aligned on an input facet of the waveguide 107 through a window 210 and the optical coupling lens 204.
- the optical coupling lens 204 may be a ball-lens or an aspheric lens, and can be directly attached to the cap-sealed window 210.
- the semiconductor laser diode 200 is parallel to the axis 400 of optical signals, but may also be inclined within 30 degrees.
- an mPD (monitoring PD) 209 for monitoring optical output may be mounted at the back of the semiconductor laser diode 200.
- the optical coupling lens 204 may be included in the TO-head 203.
- a front facet 201 of the semiconductor laser diode is anti-reflective (AR)-coated, with a residual reflection in 0.1 % or less.
- a rear facet opposite to the front facet 201 is high-reflective (HR)-coated, preferably to give a reflection of 30 % or more.
- a spot-size converter may be integrated in the semiconductor laser diode.
- the far-field angle may be 35 degrees or less in general.
- the wavelength tunable Bragg-grating reflection filter 103 has the structure (a) of
- the etching depth in the core region 100 of the waveguide may be less than 1 um.
- the material of the waveguide may have an absolute value of thermo-optic coefficient of LOxlO ⁇ /deg or greater.
- the waveguide may be a buried-channel, a reversed buried-channel, a rib, a ridge, etc.
- a current is applied to the heater 101 in the upper portion of the Bragg-grating 110 to control the oscillation wavelength by local heating, thus the temperature of the Bragg- grating 110 needs to be controlled precisely.
- thermo-electric cooler a silicon substrate 106 and a lower portion of the TO-head 203 are attached to a thermo-electric cooler (TEC) 301 using an epoxy hardening method, laser- welding, soldering, mechanical bonding, etc.
- FlG. 4 includes a top view (a) and a side view (b) of a wavelength tunable external cavity laser where a semiconductor laser diode and a wavelength-tuneable Bragg- grating reflection filter are optically coupled without a coupling lens according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- a waveguide platform is formed of a polymer material having a negative thermo-optic coefficient on a silicon substrate 106, and includes a wavelength tunable Bragg-grating 110 and a phase controlling heater 102.
- Optical signals output from the semiconductor laser diode 200 are actively aligned with the Bragg-grating reflection filter 103 without an optical coupling lens.
- a spot-size converter which allows light output from the front facet of the semiconductor laser diode 200 to have a far-field angle of 20 degrees or less, may be integrated.
- (waveguide surface) 107 may be 30 um or less.
- the front facet 201 of the semiconductor laser diode 200 is AR-coated, preferably, with a residual reflection in 0,1 % or less.
- a rear facet opposite to the front facet 201 is HR-coated, preferably, to give a reflection of 30 % or more.
- the semiconductor laser diode 200 is mounted on a substrate 500 and is actively aligned with the input surface (waveguide surface 107).
- a mPD 209 may be formed on the substrate 500 at the back of the semiconductor laser diode 200 to monitor optical output.
- the semiconductor laser diode 200 is parallel to the axis 400 of optical signals, but may also be inclined within 30 degrees.
- the wavelength tunable Bragg-grating reflection filter 103 has the structure (a) of
- the etching depth in the core region 100 of the waveguide may be less than 1 um.
- the material of the waveguide may have an absolute value of thermo-optic coefficient of 1.0x10 /deg or greater.
- the waveguide may be a buried-channel, a reversed buried-channel, a rib, a ridge, etc.
- the lower portion of the substrate 500, on which a silicon substrate 106 and the TO- head 203 are mounted is attached to a cooling surface 302 of a thermo-electric cooler (TEC) 301 using an epoxy hardening method, laser- welding, soldering, mechanical bonding, etc.
- TEC thermo-electric cooler
- FIG. 5 illustrates the operation principle of the wavelength tunable external cavity laser according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the semiconductor laser diode are optically coupled with the Bragg-grating reflection filter through the optical coupling lens. (S500)
- a current is applied to a thin-film heater mounted on an upper cladding of the Bragg- grating reflection filter to vary the refractive index of the Bragg-grating to change the wavelength of the optical signal output from the Bragg-grating reflection filter.
- the invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium.
- the computer readable recording medium is any data storage device that can store data which can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable recording medium include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves (such as data transmission through the Internet).
- ROM read-only memory
- RAM random-access memory
- CD-ROMs compact discs
- magnetic tapes magnetic tapes
- floppy disks optical data storage devices
- carrier waves such as data transmission through the Internet
- the semiconductor laser diode and the waveguide are actively aligned in the wavelength tunable external cavity laser, thereby increasing optical coupling efficiency and obtaining high optical output power.
- the semiconductor laser diode and the waveguide are actively aligned in the wavelength tunable external cavity laser, thereby increasing optical coupling efficiency and obtaining high optical output power.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/225,407 US20100232458A1 (en) | 2006-04-20 | 2007-04-20 | Wavelength Tunable External Cavity Laser |
JP2008558216A JP2009529782A (en) | 2006-04-20 | 2007-04-20 | Tunable external cavity laser |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR20060035774 | 2006-04-20 | ||
KR10-2006-0035774 | 2006-04-20 | ||
KR1020060096600A KR100772529B1 (en) | 2006-04-20 | 2006-09-29 | Wavelength tunable external cavity laser |
KR10-2006-0096600 | 2006-09-29 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2007123334A1 true WO2007123334A1 (en) | 2007-11-01 |
Family
ID=38625201
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/KR2007/001931 WO2007123334A1 (en) | 2006-04-20 | 2007-04-20 | Wavelength tunable external cavity laser |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
WO (1) | WO2007123334A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2017137587A1 (en) * | 2016-02-12 | 2017-08-17 | Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. | Laser arrangement, method for controlling a laser and measuring method |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5349598A (en) * | 1992-02-06 | 1994-09-20 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Optical semiconductor apparatus, a method of driving the same and an optical transmission system using the same |
US5757828A (en) * | 1995-12-08 | 1998-05-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Semiconductor laser device, method for driving the same, and optical communication system using the same |
WO2003012936A2 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2003-02-13 | Bookham Technology Plc | Tuneable laser |
-
2007
- 2007-04-20 WO PCT/KR2007/001931 patent/WO2007123334A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5349598A (en) * | 1992-02-06 | 1994-09-20 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Optical semiconductor apparatus, a method of driving the same and an optical transmission system using the same |
US5757828A (en) * | 1995-12-08 | 1998-05-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Semiconductor laser device, method for driving the same, and optical communication system using the same |
WO2003012936A2 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2003-02-13 | Bookham Technology Plc | Tuneable laser |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2017137587A1 (en) * | 2016-02-12 | 2017-08-17 | Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. | Laser arrangement, method for controlling a laser and measuring method |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20100232458A1 (en) | Wavelength Tunable External Cavity Laser | |
US20200280173A1 (en) | Method for wavelength control of silicon photonic external cavity tunable laser | |
US8320763B2 (en) | Planar lightwave circuit (PLC) device wavelength tunable light source comprising the same device and wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical network (WDM-PON) using the same light source | |
KR101038264B1 (en) | Wavelength Tunable External Cavity Semiconductor Laser Module | |
US8831049B2 (en) | Tunable optical system with hybrid integrated laser | |
US7440643B2 (en) | Variable light controlling device and variable light controlling method | |
US7962045B2 (en) | Optical transmitter having a widely tunable directly modulated laser and periodic optical spectrum reshaping element | |
US20100208756A1 (en) | Tunable laser module based on polymer waveguides | |
EP2575220B1 (en) | Tunable laser with integrated wavelength reference | |
US20110085572A1 (en) | Method and system for hybrid integration of a tunable laser | |
KR101276338B1 (en) | Wavelength tunable light source | |
JP2008251673A (en) | Optical device and manufacturing method therefor | |
CN1934758B (en) | A temperature tuned filter having a pre-stressed membrane for wavelength tuning of an external cavity laserdiode | |
WO2000003461A1 (en) | External cavity laser | |
KR100958661B1 (en) | Planar lightwave circuit(PLC) device, wavelength tunable light source comprising the same device and wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical network(WDM-PON) using the same light source | |
KR100859713B1 (en) | Athermal external cavity Laser | |
US6724799B2 (en) | Wavelength tunable laser light source | |
US20130322472A1 (en) | Wavelength selective and tunable laser device | |
WO2008069456A1 (en) | Planar lightwave circuit(plc) device, wavelength tunable light source comprising the same device and wavelength division multiplexing-passive optical network(wdm-pon) using the same light source | |
US20130163993A1 (en) | Directly-coupled wavelength-tunable external cavity laser | |
WO2007123334A1 (en) | Wavelength tunable external cavity laser | |
US9407061B2 (en) | Tunable light source | |
KR20150047699A (en) | Highly Efficeient External Cavity Tunable Laser | |
JP5553248B2 (en) | Optical device and manufacturing method thereof |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application |
Ref document number: 07746093 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 2008558216 Country of ref document: JP |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 200780009919.5 Country of ref document: CN |
|
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: DE |
|
122 | Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase |
Ref document number: 07746093 Country of ref document: EP Kind code of ref document: A1 |