Tunable Laser Design

1. Tunable lasers initially promise low-cost 'spares' for WDM systems, but will eventually be used for wavelength-routed systems.
2. Design issues include tuning range, side-mode suppression ratio, manufacturability and tuning speed.
3. VPIcomponentMaker™ Active Photonics provides unique tools for optimizing multisection and external-cavity tunable lasers.
4. Wide spectral ranges can be simulated, together with tuning dynamics, stability in the face of feedback, and spectral details such as side-mode suppression and noise floor.
5. This example shows the tuning dynamics of a two-section DBR-FP laser displayed as a plot of frequency versus power.