A driver for stable-frequency operation of laser diodes

P. Saunders; D. M. Kane

doi:10.1063/1.1143181

A driver for stable-frequency operation of laser diodes

P. Saunders^*, D. M. Kane

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A driver for the stable-frequency operation of an AlGaAs laser diode is described. This consists of a constant current source with short-term fluctuations of ±8 μA and a drift of less than 2 μA in 10 h, in conjunction with a ±1 mdeg temperature controller. The current can be set to values up to 100 mA and a ramp current up to 20 mA can be added to this to allow frequency scanning of the laser. The laser linewidth is measured by heterodyning two such stabilized lasers and recording the beat note. This has a width of 27±7 MHz. The frequency drift is monitored by exciting the D₂ transition of cesium and recording the change in absorbed power when a laser is tuned to the side of an absorption peak. The drift is measured to be 10 kHz/s over 5 h, and is attributed largely to temperature drift. In addition, the current circuit can be readily interfaced to a microcomputer for automatic control of the laser current without sacrificing stability.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2141-2145
Number of pages	5
Journal	Review of Scientific Instruments
Volume	63
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1143181
Publication status	Published - 1992
Externally published	Yes

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10.1063/1.1143181

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title = "A driver for stable-frequency operation of laser diodes",

abstract = "A driver for the stable-frequency operation of an AlGaAs laser diode is described. This consists of a constant current source with short-term fluctuations of ±8 μA and a drift of less than 2 μA in 10 h, in conjunction with a ±1 mdeg temperature controller. The current can be set to values up to 100 mA and a ramp current up to 20 mA can be added to this to allow frequency scanning of the laser. The laser linewidth is measured by heterodyning two such stabilized lasers and recording the beat note. This has a width of 27±7 MHz. The frequency drift is monitored by exciting the D2 transition of cesium and recording the change in absorbed power when a laser is tuned to the side of an absorption peak. The drift is measured to be 10 kHz/s over 5 h, and is attributed largely to temperature drift. In addition, the current circuit can be readily interfaced to a microcomputer for automatic control of the laser current without sacrificing stability.",

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AU - Kane, D. M.

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N2 - A driver for the stable-frequency operation of an AlGaAs laser diode is described. This consists of a constant current source with short-term fluctuations of ±8 μA and a drift of less than 2 μA in 10 h, in conjunction with a ±1 mdeg temperature controller. The current can be set to values up to 100 mA and a ramp current up to 20 mA can be added to this to allow frequency scanning of the laser. The laser linewidth is measured by heterodyning two such stabilized lasers and recording the beat note. This has a width of 27±7 MHz. The frequency drift is monitored by exciting the D2 transition of cesium and recording the change in absorbed power when a laser is tuned to the side of an absorption peak. The drift is measured to be 10 kHz/s over 5 h, and is attributed largely to temperature drift. In addition, the current circuit can be readily interfaced to a microcomputer for automatic control of the laser current without sacrificing stability.

AB - A driver for the stable-frequency operation of an AlGaAs laser diode is described. This consists of a constant current source with short-term fluctuations of ±8 μA and a drift of less than 2 μA in 10 h, in conjunction with a ±1 mdeg temperature controller. The current can be set to values up to 100 mA and a ramp current up to 20 mA can be added to this to allow frequency scanning of the laser. The laser linewidth is measured by heterodyning two such stabilized lasers and recording the beat note. This has a width of 27±7 MHz. The frequency drift is monitored by exciting the D2 transition of cesium and recording the change in absorbed power when a laser is tuned to the side of an absorption peak. The drift is measured to be 10 kHz/s over 5 h, and is attributed largely to temperature drift. In addition, the current circuit can be readily interfaced to a microcomputer for automatic control of the laser current without sacrificing stability.

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A driver for stable-frequency operation of laser diodes

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