Patent · US Expired

Device for compensating for thermal instabilities of laser diodes

US5043991A · kind A · utility

48Cited by
7References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 28, 1989
Grant dateAug 27, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 28, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S5/1231
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention proposes a dielectric waveguide formed on a substrate of ultra-low thermal expansion glass which is assembled with a commercially available diode laser to create a temperature stabilized laser. The waveguide comprises multiple dielectric films which have equal and opposite temperature induced changes in refractive index with respect to each other into which is formed a Bragg grating, the grooves of which are sufficiently shallow to allow penetration of light into the waveguide of 1 mm to 1 cm. This provides a signal which is both narrowband and frequency stable so that the optical signal can be guaranteed to remain in a given narrow frequency band. The dielectric layers are deposited using ion assisted deposition (IAD) to provide uniform, high density films with reduced index-temperature coefficients and increased density, resulting in a waveguide with near-zero temperature variations in refractive index. After fabrication, the waveguide is assembled to the diode laser, creating a temperature stabilized laser which operates within 1 .ANG. of the target wavelength over the temperature range from 20.degree. C. to 70.degree. C. In one embodiment a temperature sta…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.