Experimental and theoretical study of filtered optical feedback in a semiconductor laser

• Published in: IEEE journal of quantum electronics Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 375 - 384
• Main Authors: Fischer, A.P.A., Andersen, O.K., Yousefi, M., Stolte, S., Lenstra, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.03.2000; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Delay; Diode lasers; Dynamical laser instabilities; noisy laser behavior; Exact sciences and technology; Fabry-Perot; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Laser feedback; Laser mode locking; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Laser theory; Lasers; Optical feedback; Optical filters; Optics; Physics; Semiconductor lasers; Semiconductor lasers; laser diodes; Steady-state; Filters; Semiconductor lasers; Mode locking; Optical feedback; Theoretical study; Optical multistability; External cavity; Experimental study; Dynamical systems; Hysteresis; Fabry-Perot interferometers
• ISSN: 0018-9197; 1558-1713; 1558-1713
• DOI: 10.1109/3.825886

We report on the systematical investigation of the steady-state regime and the dynamical behavior of a semiconductor laser subject to delayed filtered optical feedback. We study a Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer type of filter placed in the external feedback loop of a diode laser. The effects of the filter on the locking of the diode laser frequency to the external cavity modes are described. We report and observe hysteresis, bistability, and multistability and show that all these are well described by a set of rate equations for the coupled laser and FP cavity system. We also present an experimental stability diagram that summarizes the dynamical behavior of the system.