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Content archived on 2024-05-30

VEry LOw jitter MOde LOcked laser at 780nm for optical sampling applications

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Advanced semiconductor light sources

Ultrafast semiconductor lasers serve as important optical sampling tools for analogue-to-digital (ADC) applications. Improved laser designs should lead to higher sampling rates, enabling high-speed data communication systems.

Industrial Technologies icon Industrial Technologies

Efficient photonic sources are a key element for reliable digital transmission. Photonic devices such as compact and cost-effective pulse lasers with low timing jitter – timing errors – are an indispensable tool in ADC conversion. The EU-funded project VELO MOLO_780 (Very low jitter mode locked laser at 780nm for optical sampling applications) is investigating suitable pulse lasers emitting at 780 nm with ultrashort laser pulses for use as high-speed sampling signals in photoconductive switches. Ultrashort optical pulses hitting a photoconductive switch enable very fast ADC converter operation. Scientists used the mode-locking method to obtain ultrashort laser pulses through monolithic or external-cavity lasers. Several laser architectures based on semiconductor optical amplifiers were studied involving use of either indium phosphide or gallium arsenide layer structures. VELO MOLO_780's ultimate aim is the design, fabrication and testing of an improved pulse laser design, and semiconductor lasers are promising candidates for cheap and compact-size lasers.

Keywords

Light sources, semiconductor lasers, optical sampling, analogue-to-digital, ultrashort laser pulses

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