DFB laser arrays based on the REC technique and their applications in radio-over-fiber systems

We review the recent work of distributed-feedback （DFB） multi-wavelength semiconductor laser arrays （MWLAs） based on the reconstruction equivalent chirp （REC） technique. The experimental results show that the proposed MWLA has very high wavelength precision （〈 ± 0.1 nm）, while the fabrication cost is low. Only one step of holographic exposure and another step of photolithography are required for grating fabrication. The packaging technique for a high-bandwidth analog DFB laser and laser array was developed. A directly modulated MWLA transmitter module was achieved. In addition, an improved MWLA with an integrated reflector was proposed and successfully applied in a radio-over-fiber system.

Conversion of out-of-phase to in-phase order in coupled laser arrays with second harmonics

A novel method for converting an array of out-of-phase lasers into one of in-phase lasers that can be tightly focused is presented.The method exploits second-harmonic generation and can be adapted for different laser arrays geometries.Experimental and calculated results,presented for negatively coupled lasers formed in a square,honeycomb,and triangular geometries are in good agreement.

Beam multiplexing of diode laser arrays

Design and experimental studies on the wavelength multiplexing and polarization multiplexing of diode laser arrays were carried out. First, the structure of a A1GalnAs/GaAs/AIGaAs quantum well under compressive strain was used because the characteristic of wavelength was easier to adjust. We obtained diode laser arrays lasing in five different wavelengths, about 760 nm, 800 nm, 860 nm, 930 nm, and 976 nm. At the same time, four edge filters were designed, and an experimental study on the beam multiplexing of diode laser arrays was carried out. Second, two beams with different polarization states were composited using a half wave plate and a polarizing beam-splitter prism. After that, the beam focusing system was designed. Ultimately, ten beams of diode laser arrays in five wavelengths and two polarization states were composited, the total output power was 196 W and the overall efficiency was 76%. The size of the output focus spot was 144 × 1330μm2, and the power density of the focused light was as high as 1.02 ×105 W/cm2. Compared with a single diode laser array, the power density of the composite beam was improved by 4.3 times.

Fabrication of Through Micro-hole Arrays in Silicon Using Femtosecond Laser Irradiation and Selective Chemical Etching

We demonstrate a method of fabricating through micro-holes and micro-hole arrays in silicon using femtosecond laser irradiation and selective chemical etching. The micro-hole formation mechanism is identified as the chemical reaction of the femtosecond laser-induced structure change zone and hydrofluoric acid solution. The morphologies of the through micro-holes and micro-hole arrays are characterized by using scanning electronic microscopy, The effects of the pulse number on the depth and diameter of the holes are investigated. Honeycomb arrays of through micro-holes fabricated at different laser powers and pulse numbers are demonstrated.

High power semiconductor laser array with single-mode emission

The semiconductor laser array with single-mode emission is presented in this paper.The 6-μm-wide ridge waveguides(RWGs)are fabricated to select the lateral mode.Thus the fundamental mode of laser array can be obtained by the RWGs.And the maximum output power of single-mode emission can reach 36 W at an injection current of 43 A,after that,a kink will appear.The slow axis(SA)far-field divergence angle of the unit is 13.65.The beam quality factor M;of the units determined by the second-order moment(SOM)method,is 1.2.This single-mode emission laser array can be used for laser processing.

Optimal oxide-aperture for improving the power conversion efficiency of VCSEL arrays

The maximum power conversion efficiencies of the top-emitting,oxide-confined,two-dimensional integrated 2×2 and4×4 vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser（VCSEL） arrays with the oxide-apertures of 6 μm,16 μm,19 μm,26 μm,29 μm,36 μm,39 μm,and 46 urn are fabricated and characterized,respectively.The maximum power conversion efficiencies increase rapidly with the augment of oxide-aperture at the beginning and then decrease slowly.A maximum value of27.91%at an oxide-aperture of 18.6 μm is achieved by simulation.The experimental data are well consistent with the simulation results,which are analyzed by utilizing an empirical model.

Monolithic DWDM source with precise channel spacing

We report a low-cost manufacturing approach for fabricating monolithic multi-wavelength sources for dense wavelength division multiplexing(DWDM)systems that offers high yield and eliminates crystal regrowth and selective area epitaxy steps that are essential in traditional fabrication methods.The source integrates an array of distributed feedback(DFB)lasers with a passive coupler and semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA).Ridge waveguide lasers with sampled Bragg side wall gratings have been integrated using quantum well intermixing to achieve a fully functional four-channel DWDM source with 0.8 nm wavelength spacing and residual errors<0.13 nm.The output power from the SOA is>10 mW per channel making the source suitable for use in passive optical networks(PONs).We have also investigated using multisection phase-shifted sampled gratings to both increase the effective grating coupling coefficient and precisely control the channel lasing wavelength spacing.An 8-channel DFB laser array with 100 GHz channel spacing was demonstrated using a sampled grating with twoπ-phase-shifted sections in each sampling period.The entire array was fabricated by only a single step of electron beam lithography.

Efficient phase-locking of 60 fiber lasers by stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm

Coherent beam combining of 60 fiber lasers by using the stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm has been demonstrated. The functions of pinhole(s) on the power distributions in the far-field have been systematically simulated on both in-phase and out-of-phase modes. Only one photoelectric detector was used to detect the combined power in the far-field central lobe of the in-phase mode state. When the phase controller was in a closed loop, the contrast of the far-field intensity pattern was as high as ~97% with residual phase error of ~λ/30, and ~34.7% of the total power was contained in the central lobe.

Three-dimensional catadioptric vision sensor using omnidirectional dot matrix projection

In order to solve the problem of low measurement accuracy caused by uneven imaging resolutions,we develop a three-dimensional catadioptric vision sensor using 20 to 100 lasers arranged in a circular array called omnidirectional dot maxtric projection（ODMP）.Based on the imaging characteristic of the sensor,the ODMP can image the area with a high image resolution.The proposed sensor with ODMP can minimize the loss of the detail information by adjusting the projection density.In evaluating the performance of the sensor,real experiments show the designed sensor has high efficiency and high precision for the measurement of the inner surfaces of pipelines.