Loïc Morvan

Dual-Frequency Laser at 1.5

We describe the stabilization of the beatnote of an Er,Yb:glass dual-frequency laser at 1.5 mum with and without an external microwave reference. In the first case, a classical optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) is used, and absolute phase noise levels as low as -117 dBrad2/Hz at 10 kHz from the carrier are reported. In the second case one or two fiber-optic delay lines are used to lock the frequency of the beatnote. Absolute phase noise levels as low as -107 dBrad2/Hz at 10 kHz from the carrier are measured, fairly independant of the beatnote frequency varying from 2 to 6 GHz. An analysis of the phase noise level limitation is presented in the linear servo-loop theory framework. The expected phase noise level calculated from the measurement of the different noise sources fits well with the predictions.

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Excess intensity noise in a low-noise single-frequency class-A VECSEL is experimentally investigated over the frequency range 10 kHz-18 GHz. An analytical model is derived, based on multimode Langevin equations, to describe the observed laser excess noise over the whole bandwidth. From 50 MHz to 18 GHz, class-A operation leads to a shot noise limited relative intensity noise (RIN), namely -155 dB/Hz for 1-mA detected photocurrent, except at harmonics of the cavity free spectral range (FSR). At these frequencies, the excess noise is shown to be due to the amplified spontaneous emission contained in the nonlasing side modes. The measured levels of excess noise correspond to side mode suppression ratios (SMSRs) ranging from 70 to 90 dB, in agreement with the model. At low frequencies, 10 kHz-50 MHz, the observed excess noise spectrum has the expected Lorentzian shape. Its bandwidth increases with the pumping rate to an upper limit given by the cavity photon lifetime. Below this cutoff frequency, we show that the pump RIN is the dominant source of noise, while it is filtered by the laser dynamics above. Finally, our model permits to design a semiconductor class-A laser with an intensity noise limited to the shot noise level over the whole 10 kHz-18 GHz bandwidth.

m for Optical Distribution and Generation of High-Purity Microwave Signals

Tunable dual-frequency oscillation is demonstrated in a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser. Simultaneous and robust oscillation of the two orthogonally polarized eigenstates is achieved by reducing their overlap in the optical active medium. The class-A dynamics of this laser, free of relaxation oscillations, enables one to suppress the electrical phase noise in excess that is usually observed in the vicinity of the beat note.

Experimental Investigation and Analytical Modeling of Excess Intensity Noise in Semiconductor Class-A Lasers

We measure the coupling constant between the two perpendicularly polarized eigenstates of a two-frequency Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VECSEL). This measurement is performed for different values of the transverse spatial separation between the two perpendicularly polarized modes. The consequences of these measurements on the two-frequency operation of such class-A semiconductor lasers are discussed.

Experimental demonstration of a tunable dual-frequency semiconductor laser free of relaxation oscillations.

We demonstrate the generation of optically carried, broadly tunable, millimeter-wave signals with a dual-frequency single-axis Nd:YAG laser. A frequency difference as high as 127 GHz is reached thanks to an intracavity electro-optically tunable etalon made of lead zirconate tantalate (PLZT) ceramic. We show that the available frequency range is actually limited by the bandwidth of the amplification medium, namely, far beyond the usually accepted free spectral range value in the case of a single-axis laser. Both coarse discrete and fine continuous tunabilities are obtained with the same voltage-controlled device, opening the way to widely tunable low-phase-noise optically carried submillimeter or even terahertz sources.

Measurement of the coupling constant in a two-frequency VECSEL

We show that diode-pumped solid-state lasers can generate tunable high-purity microwave signals. In the case of a single-axis cavity containing an adjustable linear phase anisotropy, orthogonal linear eigenstates oscillate with a continuously tunable frequency difference. The maximum beat frequency is fixed by the laser cavity length and can reach a few tens of GHz. In order to reach the THz range, insertion of a double refraction crystal inside the laser cavity creates a two-axis laser that allows one to choose independently the frequencies of the two eigenstates. In this case the maximum beat frequency is fixed by the active medium gain bandwidth which is of a few THz for an Er:Yb:glass active medium. We show that doubling the two frequencies emitted by such a two-axis laser at 1.55 mum yields a source of tunable cw THz beat notes suitable for photomixing in GaAs-based THz emitters. Moreover, the beat notes generated by diode-pumped solid-state lasers can be phase-locked to microwave local oscillators. In particular, we show that a single-axis Er:Yb:glass laser provides a beat note continuously tunable from 0 to 20 GHz with a 170 muHz line width. The phase noise of such a source is measured to be lower than -130 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset from the carrier.

Dual-frequency single-axis laser using a lead lanthanum zirconate tantalate (PLZT) birefringent etalon for millimeter wave generation: beyond the standard limit of tunability

We describe the dual-frequency and dual-polarization emission of a diode-pumped vertical external-cavity semiconductor laser at 852 nm dedicated to the coherent population trapping of cesium atoms. The output power reaches ~20 mW on each frequency, with a frequency difference in the gigahertz range.

Generation of tunable high-purity microwave and terahertz signals by two-frequency solid state lasers

We report the dual-frequency and dual-polarization emission of an optically-pumped vertical external-cavity semiconductor laser. Our laser source provides a high-purity optically-carried RF signal tunable in the GHz range, and is specifically designed for the coherent population trapping (CPT) of Cs atoms in compact atomic clocks. The laser spectrum is stabilized onto a Cs atomic transition at 852.1 nm, and the frequency difference is locked to a local oscillator at 9.2 GHz. Special attention has been paid to the evaluation of the frequency, intensity and phase noise properties. A maximum phase noise of -90 dBrad2/Hz has been measured. Finally, we estimate the contribution of the laser noise on the short-term frequency stability of a CPT atomic clock, and predict that a value below 3 × 10-13 over one second is a realistic target.

Coherent Dual-Frequency Emission of a Vertical External-Cavity Semiconductor Laser at the Cesium

We report on an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) widely tunable from 2.5 to 5.5 GHz. It is based on an Er,Yb:glass Dual-Frequency Laser operating at 1.53 μm which naturally provides an electrically-tunable beatnote. Inserted in an optical frequency-locked loop including a long fiber delay line, the laser beatnote reaches a spectral purity comparable to the one obtained with classical fixed frequency OEOs. As the oscillator scheme does not require an RF filter, the tunability is simply achieved by tuning the laser beatnote frequency. A fine optimization of the loop has allowed reaching a -27 dBc/Hz (respectively -108 dBc/Hz) phase noise power spectral density at 10 Hz (respectively 10 kHz) of the carrier with only 100 m optical fiber, this performance being independent of the frequency.

{\rm D}_{2}

We describe a compact, ultralow noise, and high-power semiconductor laser implemented in a high performances wideband externally modulated optical link. The laser is based on a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) designed for high-power and low-noise operation. Thanks to a specific design of the gain chip, the half-VCSEL, based on a metamorphic Bragg mirror and a report on a copper substrate, an optical power of 110 mW is obtained at 1.55 μm in the single frequency regime. For low-noise operation, the laser cavity is designed for free-relaxation-oscillations operation, i.e., in the so-called class-A regime. The Class-A VECSEL exhibits a relative intensity noise below -170 dB/Hz over a wide frequency bandwidth, from 300 MHz to 40 GHz, except at the laser free spectral range (20.4 GHz). In the low-frequency range, the laser noise, mainly due to transfer of pump noise to laser noise, goes from -110 dB/Hz at 1 kHz down to -158 dB/Hz at 10 MHz. Two externally modulated optical links are implemented and compared in terms of the RF gain and the noise figure. The first optical link is based on the ultralow noise class-A VECSEL and the second one is based on a low noise class-B DFB laser. Thanks to the outstanding noise properties of the designed VECSEL, the VECSEL-based optical link outperforms the DFB-based one, in particular for frequencies larger than 20 GHz.