A monolithic MQW InP-InGaAsP-Based optical comb generator

We report the first demonstration of a monolithic optical-frequency comb generator. The device is based on multi-section quaternary/quaternary eight-quantum-well InP-InGaAsP material in a frequency-modulated (FM) laser design. The modulation is generated using quantum-confined Stark-effect phase-induced refractive index modulation to achieve fast modulation up to 24.4 GHz. The laser was fabricated using a single epitaxial growth step and quantum-well intermixing to realize low-loss phase adjustment and modulation sections. The output was quasicontinuous wave with intensity modulation at less than 20% for a total output power of 2 mW. The linewidth of each line was limited by the linewidth of the free running laser at an optimum of 25 MHz full-width at half-maximum. The comb generator produces a number of lines with a spacing exactly equal to the modulation frequency (or a multiple of it), differential phase noise between adjacent lines of -82 dBc/Hz at 1-kHz offset (modulation source-limited), and a potential comb spectrum width of up to 2 THz (15 nm), though the comb spectrum was not continuous across the full span

Monolithically integrated mode-locked ring lasers and Mach-Zehnder interferometers in AlGaInAs

In this thesis, monolithically integrated photonic devices for next generation optical telecommunications networks were investigated, namely semiconductor modelocked ring lasers and Mach-Zehnder interferometers operating at 1550 nm. Fabricated on the aluminium quaternary, the 2.3mm long passively mode-locked ring devices produced 1 ps pulses at a repetition rate of around 36GHz. It was found that the symmetrically placed dual saturable absorber configuration lead to the largest area of stable mode-locking, agreeing well with theoretical predictions in the literature. Optical harmonic injection mode-locking was found to improve the pulse timing stability, with a reduction in the radio frequency 3 dB linewidth from 1.4MHz down to 108 kHz, indicating a vast improvement in timing jitter. The sputtered SiO2 quantum-well intermixing technique allowed for the realisation of both symmetric and asymmetric arm length Mach-Zehnder interferometers, which were demonstrated as an electro-optic switch, tunable wavelength filter and optical code division multiple access encoder/decoder. The work concluded with the monolithic integration of a mode-locked ring laser and asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer to demonstrate a simple, yet effective, photonic integrated circuit

Optical code division multiple access systems in AlGaInAs/InP

The rise of photonic integration makes optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) worth revisiting due to its promising role in future all-optical networks. OCDMA has the potential to exploit the surplus bandwidth of optical fibres and to carry over to the optical domain the benefits seen CDMA radio communication systems, such as the effective sharing of the spectrum for multiple network subscribers, and resistance to jamming and eavesdropping. One of the major requirements for the deployment of OCDMA in networks is integration. This thesis presents a research study of integrated OCDMA systems using the AlGaInAs/InP semiconductor material system. This material is considered due to its useful intrinsic properties such as thermal stability, strong electron confinement, and low threshold, making it suitable for fabricating optoelectronic devices. Two bespoke OCDMA systems are considered for integration: coherent temporal phase coding (TPC), and incoherent wavelength-hopping time-spreading (WHTS) OCDMA systems. TPC systems are excellent for high speed communications due to their static en/decoding enabling features. In this research, a 2×2 asymmetric Mach Zehnder interferometer (AMZI) is used to generate a 2-bit phase code, allowing multiplexing for up to four users. A semiconductor mode-locked ring laser is also embedded in the circuit, and using a synchronous mode-locking method, adequate signal en/decoding is achieved. WHTS systems on the other hand fully exploit the spectral and temporal space available in networks by assigning each user with a unique wavelength-time hop sequence for en/decoding data signals. Here, a mode-locked laser array is used with intracavity distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) for spectrally tuning each laser, and a 4:1 multimode interference coupler is used to combine the laser signals into a single channel for amplification, modulation and transmission. The integrated system is fully characterised and synchronisation experiments are performed to show the potential for its use in high speed multi-user networks. Mode-locked lasers play an important role in many OCDMA implementations due to their wide spectrum and discrete temporal properties, which can be easily exploited during data en/decoding. Various mode-locked laser devices have been studied during this research with additional embedded components such as intracavity DBRs and phase controllers for precise tuning of the wavelength and pulse repetition frequency. However, the noisy nature of passively operating mode-locked lasers make them prone to high jitter, which can result in high bit error rates. Synchronisation schemes are thereby explored in order to temporally stabilise the pulse oscillations to make them suitable for use in long haul transmission systems. This includes synchronous and hybrid mode-locking, as well as a passive technique using an optical fibre loop to provide phase feedback, which is shown to promote ultralow RF linewidths in mode-locked lasers

Ultrashort, High Power, And Ultralow Noise Mode-locked Optical Pulse Generation Using Quantum-dot Semiconductor Lasers

This dissertation explores various aspects and potential of optical pulse generation based on active, passive, and hybrid mode-locked quantum dot semiconductor lasers with target applications such as optical interconnect and high speed signal processing. Design guidelines are developed for the single mode operation with suppressed reflection from waveguide discontinuities. The device fabrication procedure is explained, followed by characteristics of FP laser, SOA, and monolithic two-section devices. Short pulse generation from an external cavity mode-locked QD two-section diode laser is studied. High quality, sub-picosecond (960 fs), high peak power (1.2 W) pulse trains are obtained. The sign and magnitude of pulse chirp were measured for the first time. The role of the self-phase modulation and the linewidth enhancement factor in QD mode-locked lasers is addressed. The noise performance of two-section mode-locked lasers and a SOA-based ring laser was investigated. Significant reduction of the timing jitter under hybrid mode-locked operation was achieved owing to more than one order of magnitude reduction of the linewidth in QD gain media. Ultralow phase noise performance (integrated timing jitter of a few fs at a 10 GHz repetition rate) was demonstrated from an actively mode-locked unidirectional ring laser. These results show that quantum dot mode-locked lasers are strong competitors to conventional semiconductor lasers in noise performance. Finally we demonstrated an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) and coupled opto-electronic oscillators (COEO) which have the potential for both high purity microwave and low noise optical pulse generation. The phase noise of the COEO is measured by the photonic delay line frequency discriminator method. Based on this study we discuss the prospects of the COEO as a low noise optical pulse source

Heterogeneous Silicon III-V Mode-Locked Lasers

Mode-locked lasers are useful for a variety of applications, such as sensing, telecommunication, and surgical instruments. This work focuses on integrated-circuit mode-locked lasers: those that combine multiple optical and electronic functions and are manufactured together on a single chip. While this allows production at high volume and lower cost, the true potential of integration is to open applications for mode-locked laser diodes where solid state lasers cannot fit, either due to size and power consumption constraints, or where small optical or electrical paths are needed for high bandwidth. Unfortunately, most high power and highly stable mode-locked laser diode demonstrations in scientific literature are based on the Fabry-Perot resonator design, with cleaved mirrors, and are unsuitable for use in integrated circuits because of the difficulty of producing integrated Fabry-Perot cavities.We use silicon photonics and heterogeneous integration with III-V gain material to produce the most powerful and lowest noise fully integrated mode-locked laser diode in the 20 GHz frequency range. If low noise and high peak power are required, it is arguably the best performing fully integrated mode-locked laser ever demonstrated. We present the design methodology and experimental pathway to realize a fully integrated mode-locked laser diode. The construction of the device, beginning with the selection of an integration platform, and proceeding through the fabrication process to final optimization, is presented in detail. The dependence of mode-locked laser performance on a wide variety of design parameters is presented.Applications for integrated circuit mode-locked lasers are also discussed, as well as proposed methods for using integration to improve mode-locking performance to beyond the current state of the art

Narrow linewidth, diode laser pumped, solid state lasers

The design, construction, evaluation and development of an all solid state, narrow linewidth laser source is presented. The narrow linewidth laser system was based on a miniature standing wave Nd:YAG laser cavity, end-pumped with 100mW of 809nm light from a fibre coupled GaAlAs diode laser array. This basic CW laser generated up to 30mW at 1064nm in a single, diffraction limited transverse mode (TEM00) but multi-longitudinal mode output beam. The laser had a pump power threshold of 24mW and an optical to optical slope efficiency of 39%. A simple rate equation based numerical model of this laser was developed to allow various design parameters such as length of Nd:YAG gain medium and amount of output coupling to be optimised. Excellent agreement between the numerical model predictions of the output power as a function of input pump power and experimental data from the optimised multi-longitudinal mode laser was obtained. To restrict this laser to operate on a single longitudinal mode, twisted cavity mode and intracavity etalon, mode selecting techniques were investigated. Both methods were found to produce reliable single mode laser operation and resulted in output powers at the 10mW level. The relative free running frequency stability between a pair of single longitudinal mode diode laser pumped Nd:YAG lasers was investigated. By isolating these lasers from environmental noise using a small, custom built anechoic chamber the linewidth of the optical heterodyne signal between the two free running lasers was reduced from tens of megahertz to around 10kHz measured on a millisecond time scale. Further improvement in linewidth was achieved by actively locking the laser frequency to a novel ultra high finesse (F~12,500, free spectral range ~500MHz) spherical mirror Fabry-Perot reference interferometer using the technique of Pound-Drever locking. The locked laser displayed a maximum frequency deviation of only 1kHz from the centre of the reference cavity transmission and a frequency noise spectral density of ~20Hz/ √Hz at 1kHz. In one of the first reported demonstrations of an all solid state injection seeded laser system, this single frequency laser was used to injection seed a diode laser array, transversely pumped, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser to produce 0.25mJ, 35ns pulses in a single longitudinal, single transverse mode beam. Preliminary results on injection locking between two single frequency diode laser pumped Nd:YAG laser are also reported. A novel frequency stabilisation scheme based on resonant optical feedback locking iproposed and some preliminary experimental work on this technique is presented

Design and Development of an Optical Chip Interferometer For High Precision On-Line Surface Measurement

Advances in manufacturing and with the demand of achieving faster throughput at a lower cost in any industrial setting have put forward the need for embedded metrology. Embedded metrology is the provision of metrology on the manufacturing platform, enabling measurement without the removal of the workpiece. Providing closer integration of metrology upon the manufacturing platform will improve material processing and reliability of manufacture for high added value products in ultra-high-precision engineering. Currently, almost all available metrology instrumentation is either too bulky, slow, destructive in terms of damaging the surfaces with a contacting stylus or is carried out off-line. One technology that holds promise for improving the current state-of-the-art in the online measurement of surfaces is hybrid photonic integration. This technique provides for the integration of individual optoelectronic components onto silicon daughter boards which are then incorporated on a silica motherboard containing waveguides to produce a complete photonic circuit. This thesis presents first of its kind a novel chip interferometer sensor based on hybrid integration technology for online surface and dimensional metrology applications. The complete metrology sensor system is structured into two parts; hybrid photonic chip and optical probe. The hybrid photonic chip interferometer is based on a silica-on-silicon etched integrated-optic motherboard containing waveguide structures and evanescent couplers. Upon the motherboard, electro-optic components such as photodiodes and a semiconductor gain block are mounted and bonded to provide the required functionality. Optical probe is a separate entity attached to the integrated optic module which serves as optical stylus for surface scanning in two measurement modes a) A single-point for measuring distance and thus form/surface topography through movement of the device or workpiece, b) Profiling (lateral scanning where assessment of 2D surface parameters may be determined in a single shot. Wavelength scanning and phase shifting inteferometry implemented for the retrival of phase information eventually providing the surface height measurement. The signal analysis methodology for the two measurement modes is described as well as a theoretical and experimental appraisal of the metrology capabilities in terms of range and resolution. The incremetal development of various hybrid photonic modules such as wavelength encoder unit, signal detection unit etc. of the chip interferometer are presented. Initial measurement results from various componets of metrology sensor and the surface measurement results in two measurement modes validate the applicability of the described sensor system as a potential metrology tool for online surface measurement applications

Novel optical transmitters for high speed optical networks

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the performance of novel optical transmitter lasers for use in high speed optical networks. The laser technology considered is the discrete mode laser diode (DMLD) which is designed to achieve single wavelength operation by etching features on the surface of the ridge waveguide. This leads to a simplified manufacturing process by eliminating the regrowth step used in conventional approaches, presenting an economic approach to high volume manufacture of semiconductor lasers. Two application areas are investigated in this work. The bit rate in next generation access networks is moving to 10 Gbit/s. This work characterises the performance of DMLDs designed for high speed operation with the objective of identifying the limitations and improving performance to meet the specifications for uncooled operation at 10 Gbit/s. With the deployment of advanced modulation formats the phase noise of the laser source has become an important parameter, particularly for higher order formats. DMLDs were developed for narrow linewidth operation. The linewidth of these devices was characterised and a value as low as 70 kHz was demonstrated. Transmission experiments were also carried out using a coherent transmission test bed and the performance achieve is compared with that of an external cavity laser

Development of diode pumped Alexandrite lasers

This thesis is focused on the development of diode-pumped Alexandrite lasers, especially in terms of understanding and optimizing their performance. Alexandrite possesses excellent physical properties and broad wavelength tunability (701-858 nm). Diode pumping of Alexandrite is a promising route to construct simple, compact and low-cost laser systems, which can enable a multitude of precision applications including remote sensing (LIDAR) light sources. This thesis work presents the first demonstration of a Q-switched Alexandrite laser under CW diode pumping. The Q-switched laser was operated with pulse repetition rates up to 10 kHz. Pulses with maximum peak power of 1.19 kW were obtained at 1 kHz repetition rate. By modifying the already Q-switched laser system, a cavity-dumped Q-switched system was developed to generate shorter pulses. Pulses with considerably shorter duration of 2.9 ns and increased pulse energy of 200.8 μJ were produced. These correspond to a peak power of 69.2 kW which is more than 60 times that of the standard Q-switched operation. This thesis also reports the first wavelength-tunable passively Q-switched diode-pumped Alexandrite laser using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The Q-switched wavelength tuning was achieved between 775 and 781 nm using a birefringent plate. Highly stable pulses with 73 mW average power, 6.9 μs pulse duration and 11.2 kHz repetition rate were obtained in fundamental TEM00 mode with excellent spatial quality (M2 < 1.1). Lastly, the first single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation of a CW Alexandrite ring laser under diode pumping was presented in this work. An ultra-compact bow-tie ring cavity with astigmatic compensation was developed. The unidirectional operation of the ring laser was realized using an optical diode consisting of a Faraday rotator and a half-wave plate, which resulted in the SLM output with power >1 W in TEM00 mode. The wavelength was tuned between 727 and 792 nm. These successful pulsed and continuous-wave operations promote the prospect of diode-pumped Alexandrite lasers in light source applications.Open Acces