Lasers come in all sizes and performance grades. But the choice of the laser determines the ultimate system performance. Consider, for example, the use of a semiconductor laser in optical communication. A common distributed feedback (DFB) laser in a fiber communication system can be used for transmission of many bits of information. But for the state-of-the art coherent fiber communication systems operating at 100 Gb/s (per channel), a low noise DFB (250 kHz linewidth) is the only option to achieve this bit rate. In systems being developed for bit rates beyond 100 Gb/s, the noise of the laser must be further reduced, and other noise characteristics of the laser beyond its linewidth must be considered.
Similarly, in applications such as sensing, quantum technology, interferometry, metrology, spectroscopy, free space optical communications and others, the noise of the laser and its characteristics, as set by the power spectral density of phase, frequency and amplitude (RIN), determine the resolution, accuracy and efficiency of the underlying measurements.
OEwaves produces the lowest noise semiconductor lasers (OE4040) in a butterfly package, housed in a small enclosure with all the laser drives and controls. We also produce the lowest noise floor Multi-function Laser Noise Analyzer (OE 4000) on the market to measure all aspects of laser noise characteristics. By contacting us at Sales@oewaves.com, our experts can help you decide how to determine what laser performance provides you with the best results without breaking the bank or sacrificing results.