High efficiency single and multiple wavelength stabilized systems

A stabilized laser system for generating a signal at an output thereof having a desired central wavelength comprising:

• at least one laser, each laser thereof, which while emitting light at the desired central wavelength and having a preselected portion thereof fed back to an output thereof, causes an output signal of the at least one laser source to be shifted in wavelength in a first direction which is spaced apart from the central wavelength of the fed back signal;
• a first and a second transmission filter, each transmission filter comprising a different wavelength spectral response and first and second ports;
• an output signal from the laser being coupled to the input of the first transmission filter such that at least a first portion of any signal emitted by the laser is transmitted to the first port of the first transmission filter, and the second port of the first transmission filter being coupled to an output of the stabilized laser system;
• and
• the output of the laser being coupled to the first port of the second transmission filter such that at least a second portion of any signal emitted by the laser is transmitted to the first port of the second transmission filter, and the second port of the second transmission filter being coupled to the output of the laser such that any signal generated at the second port of the second transmission filter, whose spectral response peaks at a wavelength shifted in an opposite direction to that generated by the at least one laser in response to a feedback signal, is fed back to the laser so as to provide at the output of the stabilized laser system an output signal having a spectral response that peaks at the desired central wavelength.

A stabilized laser system for generating a signal at an output thereof having a desired central wavelength comprising:

• a plurality of n lasers, each laser, which while emitting light at the desired central wavelength and having a preselected portion thereof fed back to an output thereof thereto, causes the output signals of the plurality of n laser sources to be shifted in wavelength in a first direction which is spaced apart from the central wavelength of the fed back signal;
• a multiplexer/filter arrangement comprising a forward multiplexer/filter section and a feedback multiplexer/filter section, each of the forward and feedback multiplexer/filter sections comprising a different wavelength spectral response as a function of wavelength, a plurality of n first ports, and a second port;
• an output signal from each of the lasers being coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of n first ports of the forward multiplexer/filter section such that at least a first portion of the output signal emitted by each of the lasers is transmitted to a corresponding one of the first ports of the forward multiplexer/filter section, and the second port of the forward multiplexer/filter section being coupled to an output of the stabilized laser system;
• and
• the output signal from the second port of the forward multiplexer/filter section is further coupled to the second port of the feedback multiplexer/filter section wherein the received signal is demultiplexed and delivered to the plurality of n first ports of the feedback multiplexer/filter section and each of the plurality of n first ports is coupled to one of a group consisting of (a) a corresponding one of a plurality of n reflectors for returning a received signal back through the forward and feedback multiplexer/filter sections to the corresponding one of the plurality of n lasers, and (b) a second feedback multiplexer/filter subsection comprising a plurality of n first ports, and a second port, where each one of the plurality of n first ports thereof is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of n first ports of the first feedback multiplexer/filter subsection, and the second port thereof being coupled to one of a group consisting of a reflector, and a loop for returning the feedback signal through the forward multiplexer/filter to the output of the plurality of n lasers such that any signal generated at the second port of the second multiplexer/filter subsection has a spectral response that peaks at a wavelength shifted in an opposite direction to that generated by each of the plurality of n lasers in response to a feedback signal so as to provide at the output of the stabilized laser system an output signal comprising a spectral response that peaks at the desired central wavelength.

A method of stabilizing a laser system to generate an output signal at a desired center wavelength comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a light signal at a desired central wavelength at an input/output of a laser, which, while emitting light at the desired center wavelength and having a preselected portion thereof fed back thereto to its input/output thereof, causes the output signal of the laser to be shifted in wavelength in a first direction which is spaced apart from the center wavelength of the fed back signal;
• (b) dividing the signal from the laser into a first and a second portion, said first portion being coupled to an output of the laser system;
• (c) processing the second portion of the signal such that the wavelength is shifted in an opposite direction to the first direction;
• and
• (d) feeding back the processed second portion of the signal to the input/output of the laser such that the output signal of the laser system is at essentially the desired wavelength.

A method of stabilizing a laser system to generate an output signal at a desired central wavelength comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating a light signal at a desired central wavelength at an input/output of each of a plurality of n laser sources, each laser source, which, while emitting light and having a preselected portion thereof fed back to its intut/output thereof, the output signal thereof is shifted in wavelength in a first direction which is spaced apart from a desired central wavelength of the fed back signal;
• (b) dividing the signal from the plurality of n laser sources into a first and a second portions thereof, said first portion being multiplexed before being coupled to an output of the laser system;
• (c) processing each of the second portions of the output signals from the plurality of n laser sources such that the wavelength thereof is shifted in an opposite direction to the first direction;
• and
• (d) feeding back each of the processed second portions of the signals from step (c) back to the input/output of a corresponding one of the plurality of n laser sources such that the output signal of the laser system is at essentially the desired wavelength.