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

Journal Article · Mon Aug 23 04:00:00 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, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 97; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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