External optical resonator for a semiconductor laser

US5023885A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Franz Auracher · Munich, DE
• Eckhard Meissner · Munich, DE
• Bernd Noll · Munich, DE
• Julius Wittmann · Deisenhofen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 24, 1989
• Grant date: Jun 11, 1991
• Expiry date: Jul 24, 2009

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/14
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An external optical resonator for a semiconductor laser is composed of an optical directional coupler which can be formed as an integrated optical coupler with a short structural length that enables a free spectral range in the order of 100 GHz and enables the resonator and the system fiber to be coupled to the same end face of the laser. The resonator structure includes two optical waveguides with feedback means applied on the end faces of one of the waveguides and the other waveguide having one end face coupled to receive the output of the laser and the other end face of the other waveguide being coupled to the system fiber. The arrangement is particularly useful for tunable semiconductor lasers, particularly for heterodyne reception.