OPTOELECTRONIC OSCILLATOR

摘要

An optoelectronic oscillator for generating an optical and/or electric pulse comb, comprising a monolithically integrated passively mode-coupled semiconductor laser and an optical feedback loop which guides a part of the optical radiation of the semiconductor laser and feeds said part back into the semiconductor laser as feedback pulses. Without the influence of the feedback pulses, the semiconductor laser would emit comb-like optical pulses, hereafter referred to as primary pulses, and in the event of an influence, emits comb-like output pulses which have been influenced by the feedback pulses, said output pulses having a lower temporal jitter or less phase noise than the primary pulses. The feedback loop is damped between 27.5 and 37.5 dB, and the time lag of the feedback loop is selected such that each feedback pulse is incident within the temporal half-value width of each subsequent primary pulse.

主权项

1. An optoelectronic oscillator (10) for producing an optical and/or electrical pulse comb,
comprising a monolithically integrated passive mode-locked semiconductor laser (20) and comprising an optical feedback loop (80) which guides part of the optical radiation from the semiconductor laser (20) and couples said radiation back into the semiconductor laser (20) as feedback pulses (Pr), wherein the semiconductor laser (20) would emit comb-like optical pulses—referred to as primary pulses below—without influence by the feedback pulses (Pr) and emits influenced, comb-like output pulses (Pa) in the case of influence by the feedback pulses (Pr), which output pulses have a smaller temporal jitter or a smaller phase noise than the primary pulses, wherein the damping of the feedback loop (80) is between 27.5 and 37.5 dB and the time lag of the feedback loop (80) is selected in such a way that each feedback pulse (Pr) is incident within the temporal full width at half maximum of the respective next primary pulse, i.e. of that next pulse which the semiconductor laser (20) would have produced without influence by the incident feedback pulse (Pr).