Fast wavelength switching of semiconductor laser pulses by self-seeding

Abstract

Electrically wavelength tunable single-mode laser pulses with a width (FWHM) of about 30 ps were achieved by gain-switching and self-seeding of a 1.5 μm Fabry-Perot laser diode. Using a novel setup with a short, wavelength depending cavity length, switching between different wavelengths is demonstrated here at a frequency of 10 kHz. The buildup of stable single mode emission takes less than 7 roundtrips thus showing the potential of this approach for fast electrical wavelength switching in the tens-of-MHz range.