Noise reduction of a Libbrecht-Hall style current driver

Rev Sci Instrum. 2016 Jun;87(6):064703. doi: 10.1063/1.4953330.

Abstract

The Libbrecht-Hall circuit is a well-known, low-noise current driver for narrow-linewidth diode lasers. An important feature of the circuit is a current limit to protect the laser diode. As the current approaches the maximum limit, however, the noise in the laser current increases dramatically. This paper documents this behavior and explores simple circuit modifications to alleviate this issue.