Pump-probe measurements on bulk InGaAsP optical amplifiers are compared with numerical calculations based on simplified density matrix equations. We find that the gain dynamics is well described by the combined effect of carrier heating, spectral holeburning, and two-photon absorption.

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Highly nondegenerate four-wave mixing processes in bulk semiconductor optical amplifiers are analyzed by comparing experimental data at detuning frequencies up to 3 THz with numerical calculations based on semiclassical density-matrix equations. Carrier heating and spectral holeburning are found to be dominant in mediating wave mixing in the THz region and lead to comparable contributions to nonlinear gain suppression in semiconductor lasers.

Spectrally resolved streak camera measurements of picosecond pulses emitted by hybridly colliding pulse mode-locked (CPM) laser diodes are presented in this letter. Depending on the modulation frequency both blue-chirped (upchirped) and red-chirped (downchirped) pulses can be observed. The two different regimes and the transition between them are characterized experimentally and the behavior is explained on the basis of our model for the CPM laser dynamics.

We demonstrate a fast Quasi-Continuous frequency scanning semiconductor laser source for optical fiber sensor interrogation systems. The tunable laser covers a wavelength range of 32nm in C-band with tuning resolution of 8pm. The scanning time over the complete wavelength range in C band is less than 1ms while the switching time from one wavelength point to another point can be less than 100ns. A fast current driver controlled using FPGAs have been employed to drive a DSDBR laser for the realization of the fast tunable laser module. Experimental results have verified its possible application in optical sensor interrogation systems.