Wavelength tunable semiconductor laser

摘要

A tunable semiconductor laser incorporates a light generating structure in which light is generated and amplified by stimulated emission. The generated light is evanescently coupled into a first resonator of a first resonant optical reflector where the light is reflected back and forth between two end mirrors. A portion of this light, which is characterized by a series of resonant wavelengths, is evanescently coupled back into the light generating structure. One or more of the resonant wavelengths can be changed by modifying an optical path length of the first resonator. The tunable semiconductor laser further includes a second resonant optical reflector having a second resonator. The second resonator interacts with the light generating structure in a manner similar to the first resonator. A desired beat wavelength can be obtained by modifying the optical path length in one or both resonators.

主权项

1. A semiconductor laser comprising:
a first tunable resonant optical reflector, the first tunable resonant optical reflector comprising a first resonator having a first pair of mirrors and a first physical length between the first pair of mirrors; a second tunable resonant optical reflector, the second tunable resonant optical reflector comprising a second resonator having a second pair of mirrors and a second physical length between the second pair of mirrors; and a light generating structure, the light generating structure comprising an optical waveguide, the optical waveguide having a first portion configured to provide evanescent optical coupling with the first tunable resonant optical reflector and a second portion configured to provide evanescent optical coupling with the second tunable resonant optical reflector.