Tunable laser source
AssigneeLumentum Operations LLC
InventorMichael C. Larson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tunable transmission optical filter is optically coupled between a laser section and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) section of a tunable laser device. The optical filter may be tuned to provide a high transmission near the lasing peak while suppressing a significant portion of back-propagating amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of the SOA section. Without the optical filter, the laser output spectrum may develop side lobes of higher intensity after the ASE is amplified and reflected in the forward direction by the laser gain and mirror sections. While lessening the side lobes, the optical filter simultaneously transmits the laser peak for amplification by the SOA section.
Claims14
A tunable laser device comprising:
- a tunable laser section configured to generate light at a lasing wavelength, wherein the tunable laser section comprises an optical cavity for tuning the lasing wavelength within a tuning range spanning from a first wavelength to a second wavelength, wherein the second wavelength is longer than the first wavelength;
- a tunable transmission optical filter disposed outside of the optical cavity and downstream of the tunable laser section, wherein the tunable transmission optical filter comprises:
- a passband configured to transmit light at the lasing wavelength, and
- a stopband configured to attenuate light at a sidelobe wavelength of the tunable laser section, wherein the sidelobe wavelength is different from the lasing wavelength, and wherein the lasing wavelength and the sidelobe wavelength are within the tuning range;
- and
- a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) section optically coupled to and downstream of the tunable transmission optical filter, wherein the semiconductor optical amplifier section has an amplification band that comprises the tuning range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.