Dispersion-compensated wavelength beam combining of quantum-cascade-laser arrays

Opt Express. 2011 Dec 19;19(27):26725-32. doi: 10.1364/OE.19.026725.

Abstract

A multiwavelength array of distributed feedback (DFB) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) that spans λ = 8.28 to 9.62 μm is wavelength beam combined (WBC) using both single-grating and dual-grating designs. WBC with a single grating results in a pointing error of 3-times the beam divergence for a single laser and arises from the nonlinear dispersion of the grating. By adding a second grating to compensate for the nonlinear dispersion, the pointing error is reduced to only 13% of the beam divergence for a single laser. A transceiver based on the dual-grating-WBC QCL was used to measure the transmittance of a polymer sheet placed between itself and a retroreflector over a round-trip distance of 70 meters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Artifacts*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Computer-Aided Design*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Lasers*
  • Light
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Photometry / instrumentation*
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Scattering, Radiation