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Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology

Tunable Lasers

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Definition: lasers the output wavelengths of which can be tuned

A tunable laser (alternative spelling: tuneable laser) is a laser the output wavelength of which can be tuned (i.e., adjusted) (→ wavelength tuning). In some cases, a particularly wide tuning range is desired, i.e., a wide range of accessible wavelengths, whereas in other cases it is sufficient that the laser wavelength can be tuned (factory-set) to a certain value. Some single-frequency lasers can be continuously tuned over a certain range, whereas others can access only discrete wavelengths or at least exhibit mode hops when being tuned over a larger range.

Tunable lasers are usually operating in a continuous fashion with a small emission bandwidth, although some Q-switched and mode-locked lasers can also be wavelength-tuned. In the latter case, it is possible either to spectrally shift the envelope of the frequency comb or the lines in the spectrum.

Widely Tunable Lasers

Some types of lasers offer particularly broad wavelength tuning ranges:

In some areas, tunable lasers compete with optical parametric oscillators, which can offer extremely wide tuning ranges but tend to be more complex.

tunable solid-state laser

Figure 1: Setup of a tunable solid-state bulk laser, realized e.g. with a Ti:sapphire laser crystal. The prism pair spatially disperses the different wavelength components, so that the movable slit can be used to shift the wavelength away from that of maximum gain.

Other types of lasers offer tuning ranges spanning a few nanometers to some tens of nanometers:

Some fine tuning, often continuously without mode hops, is possible for other lasers:

For wideband tuning in various spectral regions, optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) can be used. These are actually not lasers, but OPO sources are nevertheless sometimes included with the term tunable laser sources.

Applications of Tunable Lasers

Wavelength-tunable laser sources have many applications. Some examples for those are:

Bibliography

[1]J. J. Colles and C. R. Pidgeon, "Tunable lasers", Rep. Prog. Phys. 38, 329 (1975)
[2]C. V. Shank, "Physics of dye lasers", Rev. Mod. Phys. 47, 649 (1975)
[3]J. R. Taylor, "Tunable solid state lasers", J. Mod. Opt. 32 (12), 1450 (1985)
[4]L. Reekie et al., "Tunable single-mode fiber lasers", J. Lightwave Technol. LT-4, 956 (1986)
[5]K. Kobayashi and I. Mito, "Single frequency and tunable laser diodes", J. Lightwave Technol. 6 (11), 1623 (1988)
[6]P. F. Moulton, "Tunable solid-state lasers", Proc. IEEE 80 (3), 348 (1992)
[7]E. Gulevich et al., "Current state and prospects for tunable titanium-sapphire lasers", Proc. SPIE 2095, 102 (1994)
[8]C. J. Chang-Hasnain, "Tunable VCSEL", IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 6 (6), 978 (2000)
[9]C. Petridis et al., "Mode-hop-free tuning over 80 GHz of an extended cavity diode laser without antireflection coating", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 72 (10), 3812 (2001)
[10]L. A. Coldren et al., "Tunable semiconductor lasers: A tutorial", J. Lightwave Technol. 22 (1), 193 (2004)
[11]M. C. Y. Huang et al., "A nanoelectromechanical tunable laser", Nat. Photonics 2, 180 (2008)
[12]F. Mollenauer, J. C. White, and C. R. Pollack, "Tunable lasers", Springer, 1993, ISBN-13: 978-0387555713
[13]F. J. Duarte, "Tunable lasers handbook", Academic Press, 1995, ISBN-10: 012222695X
[14]M. C. Amann and J. Buus, "Tunable laser diodes", Artech House Publishers, 1998, ISBN-13: 978-0890069639

See also: wavelength tuning, titanium-sapphire lasers, dye lasers, optical parametric oscillators, distributed Bragg reflector lasers, external cavity diode lasers, mode hopping

Category: lasers

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