Characterization of a high-power tapered semiconductor amplifier system
Abstract
We have characterized a semiconductor amplifier laser system which provides up to 200mW output after a single-mode optical fiber at 780nm wavelength. The system is based on a tapered semiconductor gain element, which amplifies the output of a narrow-linewidth diode laser. Gain and saturation are discussed as a function of operating temperature and injection current. The spectral properties of the amplifier are investigated with a grating spectrometer. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) causes a spectral background with a width of 4nm FWHM. The ASE background was suppressed to below our detection limit by a proper choice of operating current and temperature, and by sending the light through a single-mode optical fiber. The final ASE spectral density was less than 0.1nW/MHz, i.e. less than 0.2 % of the optical power. Related to an optical transition linewidth of MHz for rubidium, this gives a background suppression of better than -82dB. An indication of the beam quality is provided by the fiber coupling efficiency up to 59 %. The application of the amplifier system as a laser source for atom optical experiments is discussed.
Cite
@article{arxiv.physics/0004043,
title = {Characterization of a high-power tapered semiconductor amplifier system},
author = {D. Voigt and E. C. Schilder and R. J. C. Spreeuw and H. B. van Linden van den Heuvell},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0004043},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
6 pages, 6 figures