Yanguang Yu

Measurement of the linewidth enhancement factor of semiconductor lasers based on the optical feedback self-mixing effect

A new method for the measurement of the linewidth enhancement factor of semiconductor lasers is presented, based on the interferometric self-mixing effect. It is a fast and easy to perform method that does not require radio frequency nor optical spectrum measurements. A small fraction of the emitted light is backreflected into the laser cavity by a remote target driven by a sine waveform. The mixing of the returned and the lasing fields generates a modulation of the optical output power in the form of an interferometric waveform, with a shape that depends on the optical feedback strength and the linewidth enhancement factor /spl alpha/, according to the well-known Lang-Kobayashi theory. We show that the value of /spl alpha/ can be retrieved from a simple measurement of two characteristic time intervals of the interferometric waveform. Experimental results obtained on different laser diodes show an accuracy of /spl plusmn/6.5%.

Self-mixing laser diode velocimetry: application to vibration and velocity measurement

A review of recent experimental and theoretical results concerning laser diode self-mixing velocimetry is presented, showing that this technique can be deployed to measure velocity and vibration of solid targets with an extremely simple optical setup. This technique reduces optical alignment problems and achieves results comparable to those obtained by the conventional laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) approach. It is demonstrated that the self-mixing signal can be processed to recover the target velocity and vibration by applying the same analysis method used for LDV. An optimal signal processing method is then proposed to recover the target velocity with good accuracy, also in the presence of relevant speckle disturbance. Application to the measurement of sub-micron vibrations is also demonstrated, using a self-mixing vibrometer instrument capable of 5-nm accuracy. As an example, the characterization of response and hysteresis of piezoceramic transducers (PZTs) is carried out. These results illustrate the effectiveness of the self-mixing technique in the field of laser velocimetry, opening the way to new applications where compactness and low cost of the measuring apparatus are essential.

Improving the measurement performance for a self-mixing interferometry-based displacement sensing system

Approaches that are, to our knowledge, novel, are proposed in this paper to improve the accuracy performance of self-mixing interferometry (SMI) for displacement measurement. First, the characteristics associated with signals observed in SMI systems are studied, based on which a new procedure is proposed for achieving accurate estimation of the laser phase. The studies also revealed the reasons for the inherent errors associated with the existing SMI-based techniques for displacement measurement. Then, this paper presents a new method for estimating the optical feedback level factor (denoted by C) in real time. Combining the new algorithms for estimating the laser phase and updating C value, the paper finally presents a novel technique for displacement measurement with improved accuracy performance in contrast to existing techniques. The proposed technique is verified by both simulation and experimental data.

Estimating the parameters of semiconductor lasers based on weak optical feedback self-mixing interferometry

The paper presents a practical approach for measuring the linewidth enhancement factor /spl alpha/ of semiconductor lasers and the optical feedback level factor C in a semiconductor laser with an external cavity. The proposed approach is based on the analysis of the signals observed in an optical feedback self-mixing interferometric system. The parameters /spl alpha/ and C are estimated using a gradient-based optimization algorithm that achieves best data-to-theoretical model match. The effectiveness and accuracy of the method has been confirmed and tested by computer simulations and experiments, which show that the proposed approach is able to estimate /spl alpha/ and C with an accuracy of 6.7% and 4.63%, respectively.

Recovering the absolute phase maps of two fringe patterns with selected frequencies

Phase unwrapping is an important and challenging issue in fringe pattern profilometry. In this Letter we propose an approach to recover absolute phase maps of two fringe patterns with selected frequencies. Compared to existing temporal multiple frequency algorithms, the two frequencies in our proposed algorithm can be high enough and thus enable efficient and accurate recovery of absolute phase maps. Experiment results are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

Toward Automatic Measurement of the Linewidth-Enhancement Factor Using Optical Feedback Self-Mixing Interferometry With Weak Optical Feedback

This paper proposes an approach for automatically measuring the linewidth-enhancement factor (LEF) of semiconductor lasers using optical feedback self-mixing interferometry (OFSMI), which works in weak optical feedback regime and where the external target is subject to simple harmonic vibration with unknown vibration frequency and magnitude. According to well-known Lang-Kobayashi theory the waveform of the modulated optical output power from the OFSMI system is influenced by multiple parameters, including the LEF, the optical feedback level factor, and the parameters related to the movement of external target. In order to estimate LEF, other parameters must also be considered and, hence, a multiple parameter estimation strategy is required. We propose a solution for this multiple parameter estimation problem based on the principle of data-to-theoretical model match. In particular, a strategy for minimizing a cost function in order to achieve the best fitting is proposed with which all the unknown parameters can be estimated. The performance of the proposed approach is tested using experimental data in comparison with other two approaches. It is seen that, over different experimental signals, the standard deviation for estimated LEF is less than 4.58% on average, which shows that results have excellent consistency. Moreover, the proposed approach also provides a solution for vibration measurement (that is, vibration frequency and magnitude).

Optical Feedback Self-Mixing Interferometry With a Large Feedback Factor

This paper studies the behavior of optical feedback self-mixing interferometric (OFSMI) systems, where the semiconductor lasers operate at a single mode (perturbed external cavity mode) with a large optical feedback factor C. Based on analysis of the spectral linewidth associated with all the possible lasing modes at different C values, a set of mode jumping rules are proposed following the minimum linewidth mode competition principle proposed in . According to the rules, the C factor can be classified into different regions, on which an OFSMI system will exhibit distinct phenomena. In particular, for the same amount of displacement associated with the external cavity, the fringe number reduction on the OFSMI signal should be observed when C increases from one region to the next. An experimental setup with a laser diode HL7851G was implemented and employed to verify the proposed rules. The behavior of the OFSMI predicted by the paper has been confirmed by the experiments with C value up to 8.0.

C

In a recent published work we proposed a technique to recover the absolute phase maps of two fringe patterns with different spatial frequencies. It is demonstrated that a number of selected frequency pairs can be used for the proposed approach, but the published work did not provide a guideline for frequency selection. In addition, the performance of the proposed technique in terms of its anti-noise capability is not addressed. In this paper, the rules for selecting the two frequencies are presented based on theoretical analysis of the proposed technique. Also, when the two frequencies are given, the anti-noise capability of technique is formulated and evaluated. These theoretical conclusions are verified by experimental results.

: Behavior Studies

Feedback parameter (the C factor) is an important parameter for a semiconductor laser operating in the regime of external optical feedback. Self-mixing interferometry (SMI) has been proposed for the measurement of the parameter, based on the time-domain analysis of the output power waveforms (called SMI signals) in presence of feedback. However, the existing approaches only work for a limited range of C, below about 3.5. This paper presents a new method to measure C based on analysis of the phase signal of SMI signals in the frequency domain. The proposed method covers a large range of C values, up to about 10. Simulations and experimental results are presented for verification of the proposed method.

Frequency selection in absolute phase maps recovery with two frequency projection fringes

This Letter presents the results revealing the influence of external optical feedback (EOF) on the alpha factor, or the linewidth enhancement factor, of semiconductor lasers operating on single mode. First, a method is proposed for the measurement of the alpha over a wide range of optical feedback level, which provides an effective way for investigating the dependence of the alpha on laser operating conditions. Second, experimental investigation based on the proposed method is performed on a GaAlAs laser diode with a multiquantum well structure. It is discovered that the alpha value remains approximately constant with increasing injection current, but has a strong dependence on EOF.