CN113258436A - Wavelength-locked semiconductor laser - Google Patents

Wavelength-locked semiconductor laser Download PDF

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Publication number
CN113258436A
CN113258436A CN202110760167.8A CN202110760167A CN113258436A CN 113258436 A CN113258436 A CN 113258436A CN 202110760167 A CN202110760167 A CN 202110760167A CN 113258436 A CN113258436 A CN 113258436A
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China
Prior art keywords
wavelength
semiconductor laser
polarizer
light
external cavity
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CN202110760167.8A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
陈晓华
郭渭荣
王宝华
时敏
李娟�
董晓培
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Beijing Kaiplin Optoelectronics Technology Co ltd
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Beijing Kaiplin Optoelectronics Technology Co ltd
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Priority to CN202110760167.8A priority Critical patent/CN113258436A/en
Publication of CN113258436A publication Critical patent/CN113258436A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01SDEVICES 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
    • H01S5/00Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/06Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium
    • H01S5/062Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium by varying the potential of the electrodes
    • H01S5/06233Controlling other output parameters than intensity or frequency
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01SDEVICES 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
    • H01S5/00Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/005Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01SDEVICES 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
    • H01S5/00Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/005Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping
    • H01S5/0071Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping for beam steering, e.g. using a mirror outside the cavity to change the beam direction

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Semiconductor Lasers (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor lasers, in particular to a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser. The method comprises the following steps: the laser comprises a semiconductor laser single tube, a collimating lens, a wavelength locking component and an external cavity mirror which are arranged along an optical path in sequence; the output light of the single tube of the semiconductor laser is collimated by a collimating lens; the wavelength locking component is used for locking the wavelength range of the output light of the single tube of the semiconductor laser; the external cavity mirror is used for reflecting the light beam transmitted by the wavelength locking component back to the single tube of the semiconductor laser. The invention can lock the wavelength range of the output light in a wide range of several nm to more than ten nm, and has simple light path and low cost.

Description

Wavelength-locked semiconductor laser
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor lasers, in particular to a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser.
Background
In some applications such as gas detection and solid-state laser pumping, it is necessary to lock the wavelength range of the output of the semiconductor laser in a range from several nanometers to ten and several nanometers, and a grating is a common element for locking the output wavelength of the semiconductor laser. As shown in fig. 1, in a conventional wavelength-locked semiconductor laser, a planar grating 7 and a common external cavity mirror 9 form an external cavity of the semiconductor laser, and only light within a selected wavelength range can irradiate the common external cavity mirror 9 after passing through the planar grating 7, and is reflected by the common external cavity mirror 9 and the planar grating 7 and then returns to a single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser. This structure can lock the wavelength of the semiconductor laser within a selected range, but the optical path is somewhat complicated.
As shown in fig. 2, in another conventional wavelength-locked semiconductor laser, a bulk grating (VBG)8 is used as an external cavity of the semiconductor laser, and is capable of reflecting light in a selected wavelength range to perform a wavelength locking function. The light path of the structure is simple, but the cost of the volume grating is high. In the above structure, the range of the grating locking wavelength is 1nm or less, and is not suitable for a wide locking range of several nm to ten and several nm.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above problems, an object of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser, which can lock the wavelength of output light within a selected range, and has a simple optical path and low cost.
The embodiment of the invention provides a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser, which comprises a semiconductor laser single tube, a collimating lens, a wavelength locking component and an external cavity mirror, wherein the semiconductor laser single tube, the collimating lens, the wavelength locking component and the external cavity mirror are sequentially arranged along a light path; the output light of the single tube of the semiconductor laser is collimated through the collimating lens; the wavelength locking component is used for locking the wavelength range of the output light of the single tube of the semiconductor laser; the external cavity mirror is capable of reflecting light within a selected wavelength range of the wavelength-locking assembly.
In one possible implementation, the wavelength locking assembly includes:
the polarizer is used for receiving the light beams collimated by the collimating lens and selectively transmitting the light beams in different polarization directions;
at least one birefringent crystal for producing different polarization state changes for different wavelengths of light.
In a possible implementation manner, the polarization direction of the output light of the single tube of the semiconductor laser is the same as the polarization direction allowed to be transmitted by the polarizer.
In one possible implementation manner, the polarizer comprises a first polarizer and a second polarizer, and the first polarizer and the second polarizer are respectively arranged on two sides of the birefringent crystal along the optical path.
In one possible implementation, the birefringent crystal is quartz, and the optical axis is between the x-axis and the y-axis.
In one possible implementation, the optical axis of the birefringent crystal is at an angle of 45 ° to the x-axis.
In one possible implementation, the external cavity mirror has a bandpass coating for wavelength-selective light reflection.
In a possible implementation manner, the passband bandwidth of the bandpass coating is 10 nm-30 nm.
In one possible implementation manner, the external cavity mirror is a band-pass coating plated on the front end face of the birefringent crystal.
The invention has the advantages and beneficial effects that:
the invention provides a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser which can lock the wavelength range of output light in a wide range of several nm to dozens of nm, and has simple optical path and low cost.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and drawings.
The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail by the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
Drawings
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art configuration;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another prior art structure;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a graph of a round-trip transmittance spectrum according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a graph showing a round-trip transmittance spectrum according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure: the laser device comprises a semiconductor laser unit 1, an output light 2, a collimating lens 3, a polarizer 4, a first polarizer 4.1, a second polarizer 4.2, a birefringent crystal 5, an external cavity mirror with a band-pass coating 6, a plane grating 7, a volume grating 8 and a common external cavity mirror 9.
Detailed Description
In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like, indicate orientations and positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be considered as limiting the present invention.
Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.
In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and it will be understood that they are described herein for the purpose of illustration and explanation and not limitation.
The wavelength-locked semiconductor laser provided by the embodiment of the invention can lock the wavelength range of output light in a wide range from several nm to dozens of nm, and has the advantages of simple optical path and low cost. Referring to fig. 3 and 5, the wavelength-locked semiconductor laser includes: the laser comprises a semiconductor laser single tube 1, a collimating lens 3, a wavelength locking component and an external cavity mirror 6 which are arranged along a light path in sequence; the output light of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser is collimated by a collimating lens 3; the wavelength locking component is used for locking the wavelength range of the output light of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser; the external cavity mirror 6 is capable of reflecting light within a selected wavelength range of the wavelength-locking assembly.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a wavelength locking assembly includes:
at least one polarizer 4 for receiving the light beam collimated by the collimating lens 3 and selectively transmitting the light beam with different polarization directions;
at least one birefringent crystal 5 for producing different polarization state changes for different wavelengths of the light beam.
In the embodiment of the invention, the polarization direction of the output light 2 of the single semiconductor laser tube 1 is the same as the polarization direction allowed to be transmitted by the polarizer 4. Specifically, the x-axis is vertical to the paper surface and inward, the polarization direction of the output light 2 of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser is along the x-axis, and the polarizer 4 allows the light polarized in the x-direction to transmit.
The birefringent crystal 5 causes a phase difference in the two polarization directions different for light of different wavelengths. The birefringent crystal 5 is combined with the polarizer 4 to transmit light of a specific wavelength but not light of other wavelengths. There may be one or more birefringent crystals 5 and one or more polarizers 4.
As shown in fig. 3, in an embodiment of the present invention, the polarizer 4 includes a first polarizer 4.1 and a second polarizer 4.2, and the first polarizer 4.1 and the second polarizer 4.2 are respectively disposed on two sides of the birefringent crystal 5 along the optical path. The polarization direction of the output light 2 of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser is along the x axis, and the first polarizer 4.1 and the second polarizer 4.2 allow the light polarized in the x direction to transmit. The birefringent crystal 5 is quartz, with a length of 11.1121mm and an optical axis between the x-axis and the y-axis.
Further, the angle of the optical axis of the birefringent crystal 5 to the x-axis is 45 °.
In this embodiment, the external cavity mirror 6 has a band-pass coating film, and can reflect light within a specific wavelength range, and the band-pass bandwidth of the band-pass coating film is 10nm to 30 nm. For light within the passband wavelength range, the reflectivity of the external cavity mirror 6 is between 2% and 30%, and for light with other wavelengths, the external cavity mirror 6 does not reflect. The output light 2 of the single semiconductor laser tube 1 is collimated by the collimating lens 3, then passes through the first polarizer 4.1, the birefringent crystal 5 and the second polarizer 4.2, is reflected by the external cavity mirror 6, passes through the second polarizer 4.2, the birefringent crystal 5 and the first polarizer 4.1, and then enters the single semiconductor laser tube 1. The transmittance of this round trip process varies with the wavelength, as shown in fig. 4. The center of the main peak of the transmittance curve is 978nm, and the width of the main peak is 10 nm. Although the main peak has side peaks on both sides, the main peak does not start oscillation under the suppression of the dominant wavelength of the corresponding main peak. The structure of the first embodiment can effectively lock the output wavelength range of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser in the range of 973-983 nm.
In the embodiment, the polarizer 4, the birefringent crystal 5 and the external cavity mirror 6 with the band-pass coating are combined, the light path structure is simpler than that of the prior art adopting a plane grating, and the element cost is lower than that of the prior art adopting a bulk grating. And the wavelength of the semiconductor laser is difficult to lock in the wide range of several nm to dozens of nm in the prior art, but the invention can realize the wavelength locking of the spectral width, namely the difference from 973nm to 983nm is 10nm, and the oscillation can be started in the wide range of 10nm, so the invention is suitable for the application with the requirement in this aspect.
In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in fig. 5, the external cavity mirror 6 is a band-pass coating plated on the front end face of the birefringent crystal 5, and the band-pass coating functions as an external cavity mirror without adding an additional external cavity mirror.
The x-axis is vertical to the paper surface and faces inwards, the polarization direction of the output light 2 of the single semiconductor laser tube 1 is along the x-axis, and the polarizer 4 allows the light polarized in the x-direction to transmit. The birefringent crystal 5 is quartz of length 5.5561mm with the optic axis between the x and y axes at an included angle of 45 to the x axis. The bandpass coating has wavelength selectivity, and the reflectivity of the bandpass coating changes along with the change of the wavelength.
The output light 2 of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser is collimated by the collimating lens 3, passes through the polarizer 4 and the birefringent crystal 5, is reflected by the band-pass coating film serving as the external cavity mirror 6, passes through the birefringent crystal 5 and the polarizer 4, and the transmittance of the round-trip process changes along with the change of the wavelength, as shown in fig. 6. The center of the main peak of the transmittance curve is 978nm, and the width of the main peak is 10 nm. Although the main peak has side peaks on both sides, the main peak does not start oscillation under the suppression of the dominant wavelength of the corresponding main peak. The structure of the second embodiment can effectively lock the output wavelength range of the single tube 1 of the semiconductor laser within the range of 973-983 nm, that is, the difference from 973nm to 983nm is 10nm, and the oscillation can be started within the range of the width of 10 nm.
The optical path structure of the embodiment is simpler, the cost of the birefringent material and the polarizer is lower, the width of the wavelength locking range is from several nm to ten and several nm, and the optical path structure is more suitable for the application of wavelength locking requiring the width of the wavelength range.
The invention provides a wavelength-locked semiconductor laser, which is characterized in that a polarizer, a birefringent material and an external cavity mirror with a band-pass coating are combined, light in a certain wavelength range can be selected to be reflected back to a single tube of the semiconductor laser, while light in other wavelengths can not pass through the polarizer or can not be reflected by the external cavity mirror, and the single tube of the semiconductor laser can be locked in the specified wavelength range by the structure of the invention.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims (9)

1. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser, comprising: the laser comprises a semiconductor laser single tube (1), a collimating lens (3), a wavelength locking component and an external cavity mirror (6) which are arranged along a light path in sequence; the output light (2) of the single tube (1) of the semiconductor laser is collimated through the collimating lens (3); the wavelength locking component is used for locking the wavelength range of the output light of the semiconductor laser monotube (1); the external cavity mirror (6) is capable of reflecting light within a selected wavelength range of the wavelength-locking assembly.
2. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the wavelength locking assembly comprises:
at least one polarizer (4) for receiving the light beam collimated by the collimating lens (3) and selectively transmitting the light beams with different polarization directions;
at least one birefringent crystal (5) for producing different polarization state changes for different wavelengths of the light beam.
3. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2 wherein the output light (2) of the single tube (1) of the semiconductor laser has the same polarization direction as that allowed to be transmitted by the polarizer (4).
4. A wavelength locked semiconductor laser according to claim 3, characterized in that said polarizers (4) comprise a first polarizer (4.1) and a second polarizer (4.2), the first polarizer (4.1) and the second polarizer (4.2) being arranged on either side of said birefringent crystal (5) along the optical path, respectively.
5. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the birefringent crystal (5) is quartz with an optical axis between the x-axis and the y-axis.
6. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the optical axis of the birefringent crystal (5) is at an angle of 45 ° to the x-axis.
7. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the external cavity mirror (6) is bandpass-coated for wavelength-selective light reflection.
8. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 7 wherein the bandpass coating has a passband bandwidth of 10nm to 30 nm.
9. A wavelength-locked semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the external cavity mirror (6) is a bandpass coating applied to the front facet of the birefringent crystal (5).
CN202110760167.8A 2021-07-06 2021-07-06 Wavelength-locked semiconductor laser Pending CN113258436A (en)

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5107512A (en) * 1989-08-31 1992-04-21 Nec Coproration Frequency stabilization of a laser beam by using a birefrigent body
US5809048A (en) * 1994-11-14 1998-09-15 Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd. Wavelength stabilized light source
CN101330193A (en) * 2008-07-29 2008-12-24 福州高意通讯有限公司 Single longitudinal mode laser
WO2016026654A1 (en) * 2014-08-18 2016-02-25 Coherent Lasersystems Gmbh & Co. Kg Optically pumped semiconductor laser with mode tracking
CN112271550A (en) * 2020-10-20 2021-01-26 北京凯普林光电科技股份有限公司 Wavelength-locked semiconductor laser

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5107512A (en) * 1989-08-31 1992-04-21 Nec Coproration Frequency stabilization of a laser beam by using a birefrigent body
US5809048A (en) * 1994-11-14 1998-09-15 Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd. Wavelength stabilized light source
CN101330193A (en) * 2008-07-29 2008-12-24 福州高意通讯有限公司 Single longitudinal mode laser
WO2016026654A1 (en) * 2014-08-18 2016-02-25 Coherent Lasersystems Gmbh & Co. Kg Optically pumped semiconductor laser with mode tracking
CN112271550A (en) * 2020-10-20 2021-01-26 北京凯普林光电科技股份有限公司 Wavelength-locked semiconductor laser

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Application publication date: 20210813