DFB Lasers Between 760 nm and 16 µm for Sensing Applications

Abstract

Recent years have shown the importance of tunable semiconductor lasers in optical sensing. We describe the status quo concerning DFB laser diodes between 760 nm and 3,000 nm as well as new developments aiming for up to 80 nm tuning range in this spectral region. Furthermore we report on QCL between 3 μm and 16 μm and present new developments. An overview of the most interesting applications using such devices is given at the end of this paper.

Wavelength-controlled external-cavity laser with a silicon photonic crystal resonant reflector

“…Since PhC cavities show extremely small footprint and wide free spectral range as a result of their high Q/V ratio [13], the architecture here presented an ideal candidate for WDM applications, especially in conjunction with other PhC cavity solutions [14,15]. However, the flexibility of the configuration also make them suitable for several different applications, including other light-based communications and sensing [16].…”

Black Phosphorus Q-Switched Large-Mode-Area Tm-Doped Fiber Laser

“…High-power and high-energy pulsed lasers operating at 2 m from the 3 F 4 → 3 H 6 transition of Tm 3+ ion have been extensively studied for their potential applications such as material processing, laser therapy, national defense security, freespace optical communication, and pumping for mid-infrared supercontinuum generation [1][2][3][4][5]. Passively Q-switched Tmdoped fiber lasers are favorable ways to generate high-energy pulses at 2 m, where two-dimension (2D) materials such as graphene, topological insulators (TIs), and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are usually adopted as saturable absorbers (SAs) instead of commercial semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) due to their low cost and easy fabrication [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Highly Efficient Cladding Pumped Dual-Wavelength Thulium Ytterbium Co-Doped Fiber Laser

“…The wavelength also overlaps with many absorption lines of several gas molecules such as hydrogen bromide (HBr) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) [3], which creates the possibility of constructing cost-effective gas sensors. Strong water absorption in this wavelength range makes the light source extremely desirable in biomedical applications.…”