Wavelength-tunable organic semiconductor lasers based on elastic distributed feedback gratings

Wavelength-tunable organic semiconductor lasers based on mechanically stretchable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) gratings were developed. The intrinsic stretchability of PDMS was explored to modulate the period of the distributed feedback gratings for fine tuning the lasing wavelength. Notably, elastic lasers based on three typical light-emitting molecules show com-parable lasing threshold values analogous to rigid devices and a continuous wavelength tunability of about 10 nm by mechanic-al stretching. In addition, the stretchability provides a simple solution for dynamically tuning the lasing wavelength in a spec-tral range that is challenging to achieve for inorganic counterparts. Our work has provided a simple and efficient method of fab-ricating tunable organic lasers that depend on stretchable distributed feedback gratings, demonstrating a significant step in the advancement of flexible organic optoelectronic devices.

Fast Tunable Wavelength Sources Based on the Laser Diode Array

We report a demonstration of a fast wavelength tunable source (TWS) based on the laser diode array coupled to the arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexer. The switching and optical characteristics of TWS make it a candidate for implementing the wavelength-division space switch fabric for an optical packet/burst switching.

Low fabrication cost wavelength tunable WG-FP hybrid-cavity laser working over 1.7μm

A wide wavelength tuning range and single-mode hybrid cavity laser consists of a square Whispering-Gallery(WG)microcavity and a Fabry–Pérot(FP)was introduced and demonstrated.A wavelength tuning range over 12.5 nm from 1760.87 to 1773.39 nm which was single-mode emitting was obtained with the side-mode suppression ratio over 30 dB.The hybrid cavity laser does not need grating etching and special epitaxial structure,which reduces the fabrication difficulty and cost,and shows the potential for gas sensing with absorption lines in this range.

A compact graphene Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser using optical circulator and tunable fiber Bragg grating

We demonstrate a passively Q-switched tunable erbium-doped fiber laser （EDFL） based on graphene as a saturable absorber （SA）. A three-port optical circulator （OC） and a strain-induced tunable fiber Bragg grating （TFBG） are used as the two end mirrors in an all-fiber linear cavity. The Q-switched EDFL has a low pump threshold of 23.8 mW. The pulse repetition rate of the fiber laser can be widely changed from 9.3 kHz to 69.7 kHz by increasing the pump power from 23.8 mW to 219.9 mW. The minimum pulse duration is 1.7 p.s and the highest pulse energy is 25.4 nJ. The emission wavelength of the laser can be tuned from 1560.43 nm to 1566.27 nm by changing the central wavelength of the straininduced TFBG.

Sensitive absorption measurements of hydrogen sulfide at 1.578 μm using wavelength modulation spectroscopy

Sensitive detection of hydrogen sulfide（H2S） has been performed by means of wavelength modulation spectroscopy（WMS） near 1.578 μm. With the scan amplitude and the stability of the background baseline taken into account, the response time is 4 s for a 0.8 L multi-pass cell with a 56.7 m effective optical path length. Moreover, the linearity has been tested in the 0–50 ppmv range. The detection limit achievable by the Allan variance is 224 ppb within 24 s under room temperature and ambient pressure conditions. This tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy（TDLAS） system for H2 S detection has the feasibility of real-time online monitoring in many applications.

High power tunable Raman fiber laser at 1.2μm waveband

Development of a high power fiber laser at special waveband,which is difficult to achieve by conventional rare-earth-doped fibers,is a significant challenge.One of the most common methods for achieving lasing at special wavelength is Raman conversion.Phosphorus-doped fiber(PDF),due to the phosphorus-related large frequency shift Raman peak at 40 THz,is a great choice for large frequency shift Raman conversion.Here,by adopting 150 m large mode area triple-clad PDF as Raman gain medium,and a novel wavelength-selective feedback mechanism to suppress the silica-related Raman emission,we build a high power cladding-pumped Raman fiber laser at 1.2μm waveband.A Raman signal with power up to 735.8 W at 1252.7 nm is obtained.To the best of our knowledge,this is the highest output power ever reported for fiber lasers at 1.2μm waveband.Moreover,by tuning the wavelength of the pump source,a tunable Raman output of more than 450 W over a wavelength range of 1240.6–1252.7 nm is demonstrated.This work proves PDF’s advantage in high power large frequency shift Raman conversion with a cladding pump scheme,thus providing a good solution for a high power laser source at special waveband.

Growth of Yb∶YAB Crystal and Its Laser Performance

Single crystal of Yb x Y 1- x Al 3(BO 3) 4 (Yb∶YAB) was grown by using flux method based on the potassium trimolybdate. 160 mW efficient continuous wave green output was obtained from a fibre coupled 976 nm laser diode. The conversion efficiency is larger than 11 3%, and the electrical input green conversion efficiency is 3 9%. Tunable green output from 513 0 to 545 8 nm is also demonstrated with a quartz birefringent filter. By enhancing the incident pump power, 1 1 W cw green output can be reached.

Wavelength-tunable mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser based on nonlinear Kerr beam clean-up effect

We demonstrate a novel approach to achieve wavelength-tunable ultrashort pulses from an all-fiber mode-locked laser with a saturable absorber based on the nonlinear Kerr beam clean-up effect.This saturable absorber was formed by a single-mode fiber spliced to a graded-index multimode fiber,and its tunable band-pass filter effect is described by a numerical model.By adjusting the bending condition of the graded-index multimode fiber,the laser could produce dissipative soliton pulses with their central wavelength tunable from 1040 nm to 1063 nm.The pulse duration of the output laser could be compressed externally to 791 fs,and the signal to noise ratio of its radio frequency spectrum was measured to be 75.5 dB.

Design and fabrication of wavelength tunable AWGs based on the thermo-optic effect

In this Letter, a 16 channel 200 GHz wavelength tunable arrayed waveguide grating（AWG） is designed and fabricated based on the silicon on insulator platform. Considering that the performance of the AWG, such as central wavelength and crosstalk, is sensitive to the dimension variation of waveguides, the error analysis of the AWG with width fluctuations is worked out using the transfer function method. A heater is designed to realize the wavelength tunability of the AWG based on the thermo-optic effect of silicon. The measured results show that the insertion loss of the AWG is about 6 d B, and the crosstalk is 7.5 d B. The wavelength tunability of 1.1 nm is achieved at 276 m W power consumption, and more wavelength shifts will gain at larger power consumption.

Watt-level broadly wavelength tunable mode-locked solid-state laser in the 2 μm water absorption region

We report on broadly wavelength-tunable passive mode-locking with high power operating at the 2 μm water absorption band in a Tm:CYA crystal laser. With a simple quartz plate, stable mode-locking wavelengths can be tuned from 1874 to 1973 nm, with a tunable wavelength range up to ~100 nm and maximum output power up to 1.35 W. The bandwidth is narrow as ~6 GHz, corresponding to a high coherence. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of wavelength-tunable mode-locking with watt-level in the 2 μm water absorption band.The high temporal coherent laser can be further applied in spectroscopy, the efficient excitation of molecules, sensing, and quantum optics.

A Wavelength Monitoring System Using Tunable MEMS Filter Calibrated by F-P Laser

We report a wavelength and power monitoring system based on a scanning MEMS filter as wavelength discriminator and a near threshold-biased Fabry-Perot diode laser as wavelength reference. This system is capable of monitoring 250 channels of DWDM signal at 25 GHz ITU Grid with an error of less than ±8 pm.

Widely tunable 2μm optical vortex from a Tm:YAP laser

In this paper,we report on a wide wavelength tuning optical vortex carrying orbital angular momentum(OAM)of±?,from a thulium-doped yttrium aluminum perovskite(YAP)laser employing a birefringent filter.The OAM is experimentally found to be well maintained during the whole wavelength tuning process.The Laguerre-Gaussian(LG_(0,+1))mode with a tuning range of 58 nm from 1934.8 to 1993.0 nm and LG0,-1mode with a range of 76 nm from 1920.4 to 1996.6 nm,are,respectively,obtained.This is,to the best of our knowledge,the first experimental implementation of wavelength tuning for a scalar vortex laser in the 2μm spectral range,as well as the broadest tuning range ever reported from the vortex laser cavity.Such a vortex laser with robust structure and straightforward wavelength tuning capability will be an ideal light source for potential applications in the field of optical communication with one additional degree of freedom.

High-power narrow-linewidth diode laser pump source based on high-efficiency external cavity feedback technology

In this research,the highly efficient external cavity feedback technology based on volume Bragg grating(VBG)is studied.By using the structure of a fast axis collimating lens,the beam transformation system,a slow axis collimating lens,and VBG,the divergence angle of the fast and slow axes of the diode laser incident on the VBG is reduced effectively,and the feedback efficiency of the external cavity is improved.Combined with beam combining technology,fiber coupling technology,and precision temperature control technology,a high-power and narrow-linewidth diode laser pump source of kilowatt class is realized for alkali metal vapor laser pumping.The core diameter of the optical fiber is 1000μm,the numerical aperture is 0.22,the output power from the fiber is 1013 W,the fiber coupling efficiency exceeds 89%,and the external cavity efficiency exceeds 91%.The central wavelength is 852.052 nm(in air),which is tunable from 851.956 nm to 852.152 nm,and the spectral linewidth is 0.167 nm.Research results can be used for cesium alkali metal vapor laser pumping.

Broadband angular momentum cascade via a multifocal graphene vortex generator

Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum(OAM)have inspired various advanced applications,and such abundant practical applications in turn demand complex generation and manipulation of optical vortices.Here,we propose a multifocal graphene vortex generator,which can produce broadband angular momentum cascade containing continuous integer non-diffracting vortex modes.Our device naturally embodies a continuous spiral slit vortex generator and a zone plate,which enables the generation of high-quality continuous vortex modes with deep depths of foci.Meanwhile,the generated vortex modes can be simultaneously tuned through incident wavelength and position of the focal plane.The elegant structure of the device largely improves the design efficiency and can be fabricated by laser nanofabrication in a single step.Moreover,the outstanding property of graphene may enable new possibilities in enormous practical applications,even in some harsh environments,such as aerospace.