The supermode structure of phase-locked diode laser arrays with variable channel spacing

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/JQE.1987.1073193· OSTI ID:6868046

Kapon, E

The supermode structure of index-guided, phase-locked arrays of diode lasers with nonuniform laser spacing is investigated theoretically. It is shown that in a variable spacing array, the supermode field patterns can be significantly different from those of a uniform array. However, in a variable-spacing array with N elements, supermodes ..nu.. and N + 1 - ..nu..(..nu.. = 1,2, ..., N) have similar near-field intensity patterns and modal gains, as in the case of uniform arrays. As a result, the discrimination between the fundamental (0/sup 0/ phase shift) and the highest order (180/sup 0/ phase shift) supermodes is small and depends sensitively on the amount of gain in the interchannel regions, as for uniform arrays. This may explain the inefficient supermode discrimination and the wide beams exhibited by variable-spacing diode laser arrays, in contrast to the strong discrimination and the narrow beams obtained with chirped (variable channel width) arrays structures.

• Research Organization: Bell Communications Research, Red Bank, NJ 07701
• OSTI ID: 6868046
• Journal Information: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States) Vol. QE23:1; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
DISTRIBUTION
GAIN
LASERS
MODE LOCKING
PHASE SHIFT
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
SENSITIVITY
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION