We report on recent progress in the field of visible light communications including direct modulation of blue laser devices at data rates beyond 10 Gbit/s, and the transmission of 2.5 Gbit/s OOK data through water. We also discuss the advantages of operating with single mode laser devices and matched filtering at the receiver in the context of applications with significant solar background. The system performance for two types of directdetection receivers, a PIN detector and less conventional silicon Photomultiplier technology will be presented.
Gallium nitride (GaN) laser diodes are becoming popular sources not only for lighting but for applications ranging from communications to quantum. This paper presents the use of a commercial, off-the-shelf laser diode, with an emission wavelength of 450 nm, for visible light communication, both in free space and for underwater scenarios. Data rates up to 15 Gbit/s have been achieved by making use of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). In addition, distributed feedback (DFB) lasers have been realised emitting at a single wavelength which lend themselves towards applications where high spectral purity is crucial such as atomic clocks or filtered free space transmission systems. These devices have the grating structure etched into the sidewall of the ridge and work is ongoing to measure the linewidth of these lasers with the intended application of cooling Sr+ ions.
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