Mode-hop-free tunable high-power distributed feedback laser with adaptable rear facet phase shift section emitting at 780 nm.

We present a high-power ridge waveguide distributed feedback (DFB) laser with a high-reflective coating and a phase shift section at the rear facet. The phase shift section is realized by means of a micro heater that is placed parallel to the ridge waveguide and the uniform grating. This type of heater section is easy to integrate into existing laser designs and allows adjusting and controlling the spectral behavior of the distributed feedback laser by shifting the rear facet phase condition, which makes it possible to overcome the challenges of mode-hop-free tuning of regular DFB lasers with highly reflective cleaved rear facet. Accordingly, we use the device to quantify rear facet phase conditions where mode hops occur, which are compared to theory with good agreement.

Miniaturizing a coherent beam combining system into a compact laser diode module.

We present a laser module with dimensions of 76×43×15m m 3 that for the first time to our knowledge realizes a coherent beam combination in such a compact device, using two tapered amplifiers seeded by a distributed Bragg reflector ridge waveguide laser diode operating at 761 nm in a single longitudinal mode. The generated combined optical power is up to 5 W continuous wave with a combing efficiency of 85%. The phase of the system is controlled by the current in the ridge waveguide section of one of the tapered amplifiers. The phase-stabilization process is automated using a reverse hill-climbing algorithm and an ATmega328P microcontroller.

Distributed feedback broad area lasers with multiple epitaxially stacked active regions and tunnel junctions.

Distributed feedback (DFB) broad area (BA) lasers with multiple epitaxially stacked active regions and tunnel junctions designed for emission around 900 nm are investigated. DFB BA lasers with a cavity length of 1 mm and different stripe widths are compared in terms of their electro-optical performance and beam quality. The laser with a 200 µm stripe width achieved a high optical pulse power of 100 W in 10 ns long pulses at an injection current of 63 A, resulting in a brightness of 81 MW/cm2sr. The optical spectrum of both lasers is centered at around 886 nm, exhibiting a narrow spectral bandwidth of 0.2 nm (64 pm/K).

UV generation via periodically poled MgO:LiTaO3 circular waveguide crystal and diode-based master oscillator power amplifier.

Lasers with emission wavelengths in the near-ultraviolet (UV) spectral range have been used in many applications across various fields, and the demand for these lasers has been on the rise. For example, in medicine, near-UV light has been used for fluorophore excitation. Although laser diodes emitting in this region exist, single longitudinal mode lasers emitting at 380 nm with high optical power are limited. One of the solutions to this problem is the use of second harmonic generation by a non-linear crystal. In this work, single-longitudinal-mode laser emission at 380.5 nm with an optical power of up to 13 mW has been achieved. The emission was realized by frequency doubling using a periodically poled circular waveguide crystal of stoichiometric L i T a O 3 doped with MgO (PPMgSLT) pumped by a master oscillator power amplifier with optical power up to 5 W. A distributed Bragg reflector ridge waveguide laser diode at 761 nm was used as the master oscillator and a tapered amplifier as the power amplifier.

Comparison of individual and common wavelength-operation for 785 nm Y-branch DBR ridge waveguide diode lasers with adjustable spectral distance.

An experimental comparison between individual and common wavelength-operation of a Y-branch distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) ridge waveguide (RW) laser at 785 nm with an electrically adjustable spectral distance is presented. The dual-wavelength Y-branch laser combines two laser cavities via a Y-section to a common output section. DBR gratings with different grating periods are associated with the two cavities, which set the emission wavelengths of the two branches. Implemented resistive heater elements allow separate wavelength tuning of the two branches, which can be operated individually for alternating emission wavelengths in applications such as differential absorption spectroscopy or shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy. Common wavelength operation simultaneously generates two emission lines suitable for the generation of THz radiation using difference frequency mixing. Hereby, the devices could potentially be used as single-chip light sources for a combination of Raman and THz applications. For the wavelength-operation comparison presented, the devices were operated up to optical output powers of about 105 and 185 mW in individual and common wavelength-operation mode, respectively. In individual operation mode, the devices show spectral single-mode emission over the whole operation range. In common operation mode, the spectral emission is predominantly single mode up to an optical output power of 65 mW. In both operation modes, mode hops typical for DBR lasers occur. At an optical output power of 50 mW, tuning of the spectral distance between the two wavelengths using the implemented resistor heaters is demonstrated. In both modes of wavelength operation, a flexible frequency difference between 0 and 0.8 THz (0 and 1.6 nm) with predominantly single-mode spectral emission is obtained.

783 nm wavelength stabilized DBR tapered diode lasers with a 7 W output power.

Wavelength stabilized distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) tapered diode lasers at 783 nm will be presented. The devices are based on GaAsP single quantum wells embedded in a large optical cavity leading to a vertical far field angle of about 29° (full width at half maximum). The 3-inch (7.62 cm) wafers are grown using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. In a full wafer process, 4 mm long DBR tapered lasers are manufactured. The devices consist of a 500 µm long 10th order surface DBR grating that acts as rear side mirror. After that, a 1 mm long ridge waveguide section is realized for lateral confinement, which is connected to a 2.5 mm long flared section having a full taper angle of 6°. At an injection current of 8 A, a maximum output power of about 7 W is measured. At output powers up to 6 W, the measured emission width limited by the resolution of the spectrometer is smaller than 19 pm. Measured at 1/e2 level at this output power, the lateral beam waist width is 11.5 µm, the lateral far field angle 12.5°, and the lateral beam parameter M2 2.5. The respective parameters measured using the second moments are 31 µm, 15.2°, and 8.3. 70% of the emitted power is originated from the central lobe.

Wide Field Spectral Imaging with Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy Using the Nod and Shuffle Technique.

Wide field Raman imaging using the integral field spectroscopy approach was used as a fast, one shot imaging method for the simultaneous collection of all spectra composing a Raman image. For the suppression of autofluorescence and background signals such as room light, shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) was applied to remove background artifacts in Raman spectra. To reduce acquisition times in wide field SERDS imaging, we adapted the nod and shuffle technique from astrophysics and implemented it into a wide field SERDS imaging setup. In our adapted version, the nod corresponds to the change in excitation wavelength, whereas the shuffle corresponds to the shifting of charges up and down on a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) chip synchronous to the change in excitation wavelength. We coupled this improved wide field SERDS imaging setup to diode lasers with 784.4/785.5 and 457.7/458.9 nm excitation and applied it to samples such as paracetamol and aspirin tablets, polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate beads, as well as pork meat using multiple accumulations with acquisition times in the range of 50 to 200 ms. The results tackle two main challenges of SERDS imaging: gradual photobleaching changes the autofluorescence background, and multiple readouts of CCD detector prolong the acquisition time.

Emission behavior of distributed Bragg-reflector ridge waveguide lasers exposed to strong optical feedback.

In this work, the influence of strong optical feedback on the emission behavior of distributed Bragg-reflector ridge waveguide diode lasers emitting at 1120 nm with different cavity lengths and facet reflectivities is investigated. Based on measurements of the optical output power, central emission wavelength, and spectral emission width, the different diode laser types are compared while optical feedback up to -8dB is applied. The observed changes of the optical output power and emission wavelength as well as the occurrence of coherence collapse states give insight into the resistance against feedback of the different diode laser types.

In vivo detection of changes in cutaneous carotenoids after chemotherapy using shifted excitation resonance Raman difference and fluorescence spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Various cutaneous toxicities under chemotherapy indicate a local effect of chemotherapy by secretion after systemic application. Here, changes in the fluorescence and Raman spectral properties of the stratum corneum subsequent to intravenous chemotherapy were assessed. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects and 20 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were included. Measurement time points in cancer patients were before the first cycle of chemotherapy (Tbase ) and immediately after intravenous application of the chemotherapy (T1 ). Healthy subjects were measured once without any further intervention. Measurements were conducted using an individually manufactured system consisting of a handheld probe and a wavelength-tunable diode laser-based 488 nm SHG light source. Hereby, changes in both skin fluorescence and shifted excitation resonance Raman difference spectroscopy (SERRDS) carotenoid signals were assessed. RESULTS: Healthy subjects showed significantly (P < .001) higher mean concentrations of carotenoids compared to cancer subjects at Tbase . An increase in fluorescence intensity was detected in almost all patients after chemotherapy, especially after doxorubicin infusion. Furthermore, a decrease in the carotenoid concentration in the skin after chemotherapy was found. CONCLUSION: The SERRDS based noninvasive detection can be used as an indirect quantitative assessment of fluorescent chemotherapeutics. The lower carotenoid SERRDS intensities at Tbase might be due to cancerous diseases and co-medication.

Extended 9.7 nm tuning range in a MOPA system with a tunable dual grating Y-branch laser.

In this Letter, we present a tunable Y-branch hybrid master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) with 5.5 W output power, emitting between 973.7 and 983.4 nm. The MO is a monolithic Y-branch distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) diode laser, which is collimated and coupled into a tapered amplifier using cylindrical microlenses in a compact 25 mm×25 mm conduction cooled laser package. The wavelength spacing between the two laser branches is 2.2 nm. Each branch can be electrically tuned by up to 7.5 nm of quasi-continuous wavelength tuning, which in combination covers up to 9.7 nm of spectral range. Over this range, an output power variation of 0.5% and 0.2% is observed for the left and right arms, respectively, while maintaining a spectral width of less than 17 pm. In addition, the MOPA system can be operated as a dual-wavelength system by operating both branches simultaneously. The presented device is suitable for nonlinear frequency conversion applications.

Comparison of symmetric and asymmetric double quantum well extended-cavity diode lasers for broadband passive mode-locking at 780 nm.

We present a compact, mode-locked diode laser system designed to emit a frequency comb in the wavelength range around 780 nm. We compare the mode-locking performance of symmetric and asymmetric double quantum well ridge-waveguide diode laser chips in an extended-cavity diode laser configuration. By reverse biasing a short section of the diode laser chip, passive mode-locking at 3.4 GHz is achieved. Employing an asymmetric double quantum well allows for generation of a mode-locked optical spectrum spanning more than 15 nm (full width at -20 dB) while the symmetric double quantum well device only provides a bandwidth of ∼2.7 nm (full width at -20 dB). Analysis of the RF noise characteristics of the pulse repetition rate shows an RF linewidth of about 7 kHz (full width at half-maximum) and of at most 530 Hz (full width at half-maximum) for the asymmetric and symmetric double quantum well devices, respectively. Investigation of the frequency noise power spectral density at the pulse repetition rate shows a white noise floor of approximately 2100 Hz2/Hz and of at most 170 Hz2/Hz for the diode laser employing the asymmetric and symmetric double quantum well structures, respectively. The pulse width is less than 10 ps for both devices.

Femtosecond semiconductor laser system with resonator-internal dispersion adaptation.

We present a femtosecond laser diode system that is capable of autonomously adjusting itself to compensate for the external dispersion in an arbitrary application. The laser system contains a spatial light modulator inside the cavity which is controlled by an evolutionary algorithm in order to allow for phase and amplitude shaping of the laser emission. The cavity-internal dispersion control is shown to be much more efficient than an external control with a pulse shaper.

Method for in-depth characterization of electro-optic phase modulators.

A flexible method to measure the modulation efficiency and residual amplitude modulation, including non-linearities, of phase modulators is presented. The method is based on demodulation of the modulated optical field in the optical domain by means of a heterodyne interferometer and subsequent analysis of the I&Q quadrature components of the corresponding RF beat note signal. As an example, we determine the phase modulation efficiency and residual amplitude modulation for both the TE and TM modes of a GaAs chip-based phase modulator at the wavelength of 1064 nm. From the results of these measurements, we estimate the linear and quadratic electro-optic coefficients for a P-p-n-N GaAs/AlGaAs double heterostructure.

Dual-wavelength diode laser with electrically adjustable wavelength distance at 785 nm.

A spectrally adjustable monolithic dual-wavelength diode laser at 785 nm as an excitation light source for shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) is presented. The spectral distance between the two excitation wavelengths can be electrically adjusted between 0 and 2.0 nm using implemented heater elements above the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) gratings. Output powers up to 180 mW at a temperature of 25°C were measured. The spectral width is smaller than 13 pm, limited by the spectrum analyzer. The device is well-suited for Raman spectroscopy, and the flexible spectral distance allows a target-specific adjustment of the excitation light source for shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS).

Compact Handheld Probe for Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy with Implemented Dual-Wavelength Diode Laser at 785 Nanometers.

A compact handheld probe for shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) with an implemented dual-wavelength diode laser with an emission at 785 nm is presented. The probe is milled from aluminum and has dimensions 100 × 28 × 12 mm. The diode laser provides two excitation lines with a spectral distance of 10 cm(-1) (0.62 nm), has a spectral width smaller than 11 pm, and reaches an optical power of 120 mW ex probe. Raman experiments were carried out using polystyrene (PS) as the test sample. During a measurement time of over 1 h, a stable spectral center position of the Raman line at 999 cm(-1) of PS was achieved within a spectral window of 0.1 cm(-1). Here, the Raman intensity of this line was observed with a peak-to-peak variation smaller than ±2%, dominated by shot noise interference. A deviation of the center position of a Raman line with <±1 cm(-1) was observed over the whole excitation power range. Raman investigations of the quartz glass window of the SERDS probe showed minor interference. The results demonstrate the suitability of the developed handheld probe for Raman investigations and the application of in situ SERDS experiments to fields such as food safety control, medical diagnostics, and process control.

High-power, micro-integrated diode laser modules at 767 and 780 nm for portable quantum gas experiments.

We present micro-integrated diode laser modules operating at wavelengths of 767 and 780 nm for cold quantum gas experiments on potassium and rubidium. The master-oscillator-power-amplifier concept provides both narrow linewidth emission and high optical output power. With a linewidth (10 µs) below 1 MHz and an output power of up to 3 W, these modules are specifically suited for quantum optics experiments and feature the robustness required for operation at a drop tower or on-board a sounding rocket. This technology development hence paves the way toward precision quantum optics experiments in space.

Capability of shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy under ambient daylight.

We present the capability of shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) under ambient daylight. A dual-wavelength diode laser emitting at 785 nm is used as the excitation light source. The monolithic diode laser provides more than 110 mW in cw operation. Both excitation lines show an emission width ≤0.2 cm(-1) and a spectral distance of 10 cm(-1) as targeted for SERDS. Polystyrene (PS) is used as the test sample and ambient daylight to generate real-world background interference. Here, a broadband background signal with narrowband absorption lines from water vapor and Fraunhofer lines from singly ionized calcium (Ca II) obscure the Raman lines of PS. SERDS clearly separates the Raman signals from the background signals with a 13-fold improvement in signal-to-background noise.

Ultra-narrow linewidth DFB-laser with optical feedback from a monolithic confocal Fabry-Perot cavity.

We present a compact, ultra-narrow-linewidth semiconductor laser based on a 780 nm distributed feedback diode laser optically self-locked to a mode of an external monolithic confocal Fabry-Perot resonator. We characterize spectral properties of the laser by measuring its frequency noise power spectral density. The white frequency noise levels at 5 Hz(2)/Hz above a Fourier frequency as small as 20 kHz. This noise level is more than five orders of magnitude smaller than the noise level of the same solitary diode laser without resonant optical feedback, and it is three orders of magnitude smaller than the noise level of a narrow linewidth, grating-based, extended-cavity diode laser. The corresponding Lorentzian linewidth of the laser with resonant optical feedback is 15.7 Hz at an output power exceeding 50 mW.

Self-optimizing femtosecond semiconductor laser.

A self-optimizing approach to intra-cavity spectral shaping of external cavity mode-locked semiconductor lasers using edge-emitting multi-section diodes is presented. An evolutionary algorithm generates spectrally resolved phase- and amplitude masks that lead to the utilization of a large part of the net gain spectrum for mode-locked operation. Using these masks as a spectral amplitude and phase filter, a bandwidth of the optical intensity spectrum of 3.7 THz is achieved and Fourier-limited pulses of 216 fs duration are generated after further external compression.

Accurate frequency noise measurement of free-running lasers.

We present a simple method to accurately measure the frequency noise power spectrum of lasers. It relies on creating the beat note between two lasers, capturing the corresponding signal in the time domain, and appropriately postprocessing the data to derive the frequency noise power spectrum. In contrast to methods already established, it does not require stabilization of the laser to an optical reference, i.e., a second laser, to an optical cavity or to an atomic transition. It further omits a frequency discriminator and hence avoids bandwidth limitation and nonlinearity effects common to high-resolution frequency discriminators.