Semiconductor optical amplifier-based heterodyning detection for resolving optical terahertz beat-tone signals from passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers

Journal Article · Mon Aug 23 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3481674· OSTI ID:21470909

Latkowski, Sylwester; Maldonado-Basilio, Ramon; Carney, Kevin; Parra-Cetina, Josue; Philippe, Severine; Landais, Pascal ^[1]

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1. Research Institute for Networks and Communications Engineering, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Ireland)

An all-optical heterodyne approach based on a room-temperature controlled semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) for measuring the frequency and linewidth of the terahertz beat-tone signal from a passively mode-locked laser is proposed. Under the injection of two external cavity lasers, the SOA acts as a local oscillator at their detuning frequency and also as an optical frequency mixer whose inputs are the self-modulated spectrum of the device under test and the two laser beams. Frequency and linewidth of the intermediate frequency signal (and therefore, the beat-tone signal) are resolved by using a photodiode and an electrical spectrum analyzer.

• OSTI ID: 21470909
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 97, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3481674; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AMPLIFIERS
DETECTION
FREQUENCY MEASUREMENT
LINE WIDTHS
MIXERS
MODE LOCKING
OSCILLATORS
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SIGNALS
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
LASERS
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SOLID STATE LASERS
TEMPERATURE RANGE