Optomechanical control of quantum cascade laser frequency combs

David Burghoff; Ningren Han; Filippos Kapsalidis; Nathan Henry; Mattias Beck; Jacob Khurgin; Jerome Faist; Qing Hu

doi:10.1117/12.2508316

1 March 2019 Optomechanical control of quantum cascade laser frequency combs

David Burghoff, Ningren Han, Filippos Kapsalidis, Nathan Henry, Mattias Beck, Jacob Khurgin, Jerome Faist, Qing Hu

Proceedings Volume 10939, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers XVIII; 109391E (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2508316
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2019, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Quantum cascade laser-based frequency combs have attracted much attention as of late for applications in sensing and metrology, especially as sources for chip-scale spectroscopy at mid-infrared fingerprint wavelengths. A frequency comb is a light source whose lines are evenly-spaced, and only two frequencies are needed to describe the system—the offset and the repetition rate. Because chip-scale combs have large repetition rates, for many spectroscopic applications is important to be able to change both parameters independently, without substantially changing the comb spectrum or spectral structure. Although it is possible to modulate both the offset and the repetition rate of a comb by tuning the laser current and temperature, both properties affect the laser by changing its index of refraction, and both frequencies will be affected. Here, we show that by integrating a mirror onto a MEMS comb drive, the dispersion and group delay associated with a quantum cascade comb’s cavity can be modulated at kilohertz speeds. Because the MEMS mirror primarily affects the group delay of the cavity, it is able to adjust the comb’s repetition rate while leaving the offset frequency mostly unaffected. Since this adjustment is linearly independent from current adjustments and can be adjusted quickly, this provides an avenue for mutual stabilization of both parameters. In addition, we show that dynamic modulation of the comb drive is able to allow the laser to recover from comb-destroying feedback, making the resulting comb considerably more robust under realistic conditions.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

David Burghoff, Ningren Han, Filippos Kapsalidis, Nathan Henry, Mattias Beck, Jacob Khurgin, Jerome Faist, and Qing Hu "Optomechanical control of quantum cascade laser frequency combs", Proc. SPIE 10939, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers XVIII, 109391E (1 March 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2508316

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available