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  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Linewidth of a quantum cascade laser assessed from its frequency noise spectrum and impact of the current driver
    We report on the measurement of the frequency noise properties of a 4.6-μm distributed-feedback quantum-cascade laser (QCL) operating in continuous wave near room temperature using a spectroscopic set-up. The flank of the R(14) ro-vibrational absorption line of carbon monoxide at 2196.6 cm^−1 is used to convert the frequency fluctuations of the laser into intensity fluctuations that are spectrally analyzed. We evaluate the influence of the laser driver on the observed QCL frequency noise and show how only a low-noise driver with a current noise density below ≈1 nA/√Hz allows observing the frequency noise of the laser itself, without any degradation induced by the current source. We also show how the laser FWHM linewidth, extracted from the frequency noise spectrum using a simple formula, can be drastically broadened at a rate of ≈1.6 MHz/(nA/√Hz) for higher current noise densities of the driver. The current noise of commercial QCL drivers can reach several nA/√Hz , leading to a broadening of the linewidth of our QCL of up to several megahertz. To remedy this limitation, we present a low-noise QCL driver with only 350 pA/√Hz current noise, which is suitable to observe the ≈550 kHz linewidth of our QCL.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Temperature dependence of the frequency noise in a mid-IR DFB quantum cascade laser from cryogenic to room temperature
    We report on the measurement of the frequency noise power spectral density in a distributed feedback quantum cascade laser over a wide temperature range, from 128 K to 303 K. As a function of the device temperature, we show that the frequency noise behavior is characterized by two different regimes separated by a steep transition at ≈200 K. While the frequency noise is nearly unchanged ~200 K, it drastically increases at lower temperature with an exponential dependence. We also show that this increase is entirely induced by current noise intrinsic to the device. In contrast to earlier publications, a single laser is used here in a wide temperature range allowing the direct assessment of the temperature dependence of the frequency noise.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Frequency noise of free-running 4.6 um distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers near room temperature
    The frequency noise properties of commercial distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers emitting in the 4.6 um range and operated in cw mode near room temperature (277K) are presented. The measured frequency noise power spectral density reveals a flicker noise dropping down to the very low level of <100 Hz2/Hz at 10 MHz Fourier frequency and is globally a factor of 100 lower than data recently reported for a similar laser operated at cryogenic temperature. This makes our laser a good candidate for the realization of a mid-IR ultranarrow linewidth reference.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Frequency discriminators for the characterization of narrow-spectrum heterodyne beat signals: Application to the measurement of a sub-hertz carrier-envelope-offset beat in an optical frequency comb
    We describe a radio-frequency (RF) discriminator, or frequency-to-voltage converter, based on a voltage-controlled oscillator phase-locked to the signal under test, which has been developed to analyze the frequency noise properties of an RF signal, e.g., a heterodyne optical beat signal between two lasers or between a laser and an optical frequency comb. We present a detailed characterization of the properties of this discriminator and we compare it to three other commercially available discriminators. Owing to its large linear frequency range of 7 MHz, its bandwidth of 200 kHz and its noise floor below 0.01 Hz2/Hz in a significant part of the spectrum, our frequency discriminator is able to fully characterize the frequency noise of a beat signal with a linewidth ranging from a couple of megahertz down to a few hertz. As an example of application, we present measurements of the frequency noise of the carrier envelope offset beat in a low-noise optical frequency comb.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Frequency noise of free-running 4.6 μm distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers near room temperature
    The frequency noise properties of commercial distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers emitting in the 4.6 μm range and operated in cw mode near room temperature (277 K) are presented. The measured frequency noise power spectral density reveals a flicker noise dropping down to the very low level of <100 Hz2/Hz at 10 MHz Fourier frequency and is globally a factor of 100 lower than data recently reported for a similar laser operated at cryogenic temperature. This makes our laser a good candidate for the realization of a mid-IR ultranarrow linewidth reference.
  • Publication
    Accès libre
    Linewidth of a quantum cascade laser assessed from its frequency noise spectrum and impact of the current driver
    ; ;
    Di Francesco, Joab F.
    ;
    Führer, Thorsten
    ;
    Rein, Benjamin
    ;
    Walther, Thomas
    ;
    ; ;
    We report on the measurement of the frequency noise properties of a 4.6-μm distributed-feedback quantum-cascade laser (QCL) operating in continuous wave near room temperature using a spectroscopic set-up. The flank of the R(14) ro-vibrational absorption line of carbon monoxide at 2196.6cm−1 is used to convert the frequency fluctuations of the laser into intensity fluctuations that are spectrally analyzed. We evaluate the influence of the laser driver on the observed QCL frequency noise and show how only a low-noise driver with a current noise density below ≈1nA/√Hz allows observing the frequency noise of the laser itself, without any degradation induced by the current source. We also show how the laser FWHM linewidth, extracted from the frequency noise spectrum using a simple formula, can be drastically broadened at a rate of ≈1.6MHz/(nA/√Hz) for higher current noise densities of the driver. The current noise of commercial QCL drivers can reach several nA/√Hz , leading to a broadening of the linewidth of our QCL of up to several megahertz. To remedy this limitation, we present a low-noise QCL driver with only 350;pA/√Hz current noise, which is suitable to observe the ≈550;kHz linewidth of our QCL.