Laser device, and laser waveform control method

A laser apparatus comprising:

• a semiconductor laser element being a single laser diode;
• a waveform calculation unit configured to calculate input waveform data;
• a driver circuit electrically connected to the waveform calculation unit and the semiconductor laser element, and configured to generate a drive current having a temporal waveform according to the input waveform data, and supply the drive current to the single laser diode of the semiconductor laser element;
• an optical amplifier optically coupled to the semiconductor laser element, and configured to amplify light output from the semiconductor laser element;
• and
• a light waveform detection unit configured to detect a light waveform after the amplification output from the optical amplifier, wherein
• the waveform calculation unit is configured to compare the light waveform after the amplification detected by the light waveform detection unit with a target waveform to generate difference data, adjust the temporal waveform of the drive current by adjusting a temporal waveform of the input waveform data based on the target waveform and the difference data, and adjust a light waveform output from the semiconductor laser element only by the drive current having the temporal waveform adjusted by the input waveform data to bring the light waveform after the amplification close to the target waveform, and
• the waveform calculation unit is configured to adjust the temporal waveform of the input waveform data so that a difference between the light waveform after the amplification detected by the light waveform detection unit and the target waveform approaches 0.