Watt-Level, Narrow-Linewidth, Tunable Green Semiconductor Laser with External-Cavity Synchronous-Locking Technique

TL;DR

Researchers developed a high-power green laser using a new technique to overcome the 'green gap' in semiconductor lasers.

Contribution

First watt-level, narrow-linewidth green semiconductor laser using external-cavity synchronous-locking.

Findings

The laser achieved a 3dB-linewidth of 0.06 nm after synchronous locking.

Output power reached 1.53 W at 518 nm with a linewidth of 0.15 nm.

Wavelength tuning was demonstrated from 512.2 to 520.2 nm.

Abstract

External-cavity GaN semiconductor lasers at blue wavelengths enable narrow-linewidth and high-power output but is difficult at >500 nm green wavelengths due to the so-called ‘green gap’. In this Letter, we demonstrate a watt-level, narrow-linewidth, tunable green semiconductor laser based on external-cavity synchronous-locking technique. The laser consists of two green edge-emitting laser diodes (LDs), beam-shaping devices and a visible-wavelength diffraction grating. Because the two green (∼518 nm) LDs have similar spectral and lasing characteristics and are adjacently parallel in spatial mode, synchronous locking of both beam can readily generated with the help of diffraction grating. Namely, the two green LDs are locked at the same wavelength and the 3dB–linewidth is sharply narrowed from 4 nm to 0.06 nm. The locked wavelength can be tuned from 512.2 to 520.2 nm. The maximum output power reaches 1.53 W at 518 nm with a 3dB–linewidth of 0.15 nm. This is, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an external-cavity synchronous-locking green semiconductor laser with watt-level output power.

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