Compact narrow-linewidth swept source laser for the C-Band

Chilas has developed a compact narrow-linewidth widely tunable laser module based on their hybrid-integration external cavity laser (ECL) technology. This new laser is perfectly suited for a large range of sensing applications like structural health monitoring using Fiber Bragg gratings, molecular detection using ring resonators, and LiDAR remote sensing.

Seamlessly sweeping and widely tunable

Featuring a fiber output power exceeding 10 mW, this laser is capable of sweeping across the entire C-band (1528-1568 nm) at an impressive speed of 40 nm per second. A dedicated driver and improved calibration procedures allow for quasi-continuous sweeping across the full tuning range.

The laser’s innovation lies in its fully chip-based wavelength filter, a design that eliminates the need for mechanical moving parts. This design offers significant advantages:

1

Instantaneous Range Reset The laser can switch from the end of its scan range back to the start without any delay, resulting in a nearly 100% duty cycle.

2

Consistency & Repeatability The consistency from scan to scan is excellent & the laser is ready for high-volume demands

Quasi-continuous sweeping technology

A key feature of this laser is its ultra-fine wavelength grid of 4 pm, which ensures precise coverage of all wavelengths within its sweep range. The laser is designed to sweep without mode hops over each 0.2 nm segment. It transitions to the next laser mode with only a brief 1 millisecond pause, and then continues sweeping seamlessly.

To demonstrate the sweep performance, we recorded the sweep wavelength for a few cycles with a fast and high-resolution wavelength meter. This measurement underlines the seamless sweep with precise coverage, perfect linearity and nearly 100% duty cycle.

Compact Design Meets User-Friendly Interface

Despite its advanced capabilities, this laser module is incredibly compact, housed in a unit measuring just 100x60x20 mm. It features an extended-cavity diode laser and includes all necessary electronic drivers. The module is equipped with a DB9 connector, and a USB interface can be supplied on request. Plus, the included software makes it easy to control and adapt the laser to specific needs.

The laser output is available in a single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber (FC/APC connector), which enables easy interfacing with all fiber-coupled equipment.

Interface Features for Seamless Operation

To ensure seamless system integration, the base module comes equipped with a standard DB9 connector. For added convenience, we offer an add-on module featuring connectors for power, communication (USB-C), and sweep synchronization (SMA). To meet laser safety standards, this module adds key control and a remote interlock connector.

For intuitive operation and control, we provide a software interface which includes a graphical user interface (GUI) for straightforward wavelength setting and tuning, along with a Python library for advanced laser control functions.

Expanding the Laser’s Impact across Industries & to New Wavelengths

The versatility of this laser module is making it suitable for a large range of sensing applications like structural health monitoring using Fiber Bragg gratings, optical chip inspection for both active and passive components, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Terahertz generation.

As Chilas continues to refine the sweep mode, plans are in place to adapt this technology to other extended cavity lasers, expanding its reach to additional wavelength ranges such as the SCL band and 1700 nm. This will open up even more possibilities for advanced sensing and measurement applications.

In a new article, we describe an experiment we conducted to showcase our laser’s capabilities in spectroscopy and sensing. To highlight its sweeping performance, we set up an absorption spectrum measurement using a reference gas cell.

Article written by our laser expert Albert van Rees.


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