Broadband Laser for Optical Telecommunication

Abstract

This article introduces a new class of broadband semiconductor lasers by presenting the perspective of their principle of operation and potential application in energy‐efficient optical communication. Firstly, the working principle of a semiconductor laser is discussed, followed by the significant advancements in the form of quantum‐confined active semiconductor materials and heterostructure laser devices. Then, the underlying principle of broadband emission, which are the broad gain‐bandwidth active materials and the related carrier dynamics, are discussed in detail. Finally, the demonstration and status of broadband quantum‐confined active region based semiconductor lasers, from the literature, are discussed. The article concludes by describing their utilization as a cohesive single light source in wavelength division multiplexed optical communication system.

Optical transmitter tunable over a 65-nm wavelength range around 1550 nm for quantum key distribution

“…Optical transmitters within the telecommunications industry often utilize compact laser sources based upon semiconductor lasers as they are able to reliably create high quality optical pulses at high speeds and low cost [1,2]. Very high pulse signal-to-noise extinction ratio optical pulses can be achieved by gain-switching a semiconductor laser via the direct application of a radio frequency (RF) signal to the gain-medium.…”