Gain engineering for all-optical microwave and high speed pulse generation in mode-locked fiber lasers

Fangxin Li; Amr S. Helmy

doi:10.1117/12.2042612

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8 March 2014 Gain engineering for all-optical microwave and high speed pulse generation in mode-locked fiber lasers

Fangxin Li, Amr S. Helmy

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Proceedings Volume 8988, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XVIII; 89880A (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2042612
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Pulsed sources based on approaches that employ only photonic components and no RF components will be discussed in this talk. Several technologies have been explored to generate actively mode-locked sources using electronically driven fiber ring cavities. However, for these sources the pulse repetition rate is usually limited by the bandwidth of the intracavity modulator. Filtering of highly-stable low repetition rate optical combs utilizing cavities such as Fabry-Perot etalons can be used to overcome this limitation. This scheme is not flexible as it requires highly precise control of ultrahigh finesse etalons which limits the repetition rate to the free spectral range of the filter. Pulsed sources based on semiconductor devices offer many advantages, including large gain bandwidth, rapid tunability, long-term stability. In this work we introduce a novel, simple method to generate optical clock with wavelength tunability using two continuous wave (CW) lasers. The lasers are injected into a conventional SOAs-based fiber ring laser. The beating signal generated by these two lasers causes the modulation of the SOA gain saturation inside the cavity. Thus, the SOA provides gain and functions as the modulator as well as the gain medium. When the lasing mode inside the cavity is amplified, it also results in gain-induced four wave mixing. The proposed technique is particularly versatile, overcoming the bandwidth limitation of other techniques, which require RF sources. Moreover, this technique provides the possibility for hybrid integration as it is comprised of semiconductor chips that can be heterogeneously integrated on a Si platform.

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Fangxin Li and Amr S. Helmy "Gain engineering for all-optical microwave and high speed pulse generation in mode-locked fiber lasers ", Proc. SPIE 8988, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XVIII, 89880A (8 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2042612

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