Instrumentation for the stable operation of laser diodes

Abstract

We have developed a constant current supply and a temperature ...:ontrol circuit that can be used for frequency-stable operation of laser diodes. These instruments can stabilize laser diode injection current and temperature to better than ± 1 pA and ± 0.3 mK, respectively, over time periods exceeding 1 h. We have excited the Li(2S~2P) transition with a red-lightemitting laser diode and find that our instrumentation stabilizes the laser frequency to within ± 10 MHz over a period exceeding 1 h.

Collimated blue light generation in rubidium vapor

“…[33][34][35] The laser injection current was provided by a low noise current-control circuit 36 and temperature control was provided by a Peltier element and temperature-control circuit. 37 Grating-feedback diode laser systems provide reliable, tunable (3-10 GHz), narrow-band (<1 MHz) laser light at low cost and are suitable for construction by undergraduates. 16,[33][34][35]38 Tunable diode lasers, current-control circuits, and temperaturecontrol circuits with similar characteristics are also commercially available.…”

Laser interferometric characterization of a vibrating speaker system

“…If desirable, an ultrastable current supply and temperature controller can be mounted to produce a frequency-stable output beam from the laser diode. 23,24 However, satisfactory results were obtained using the simple commercial laser diode module.…”

Increasing the output of a Littman-type laser by use of an intracavity Faraday rotator

“…They require no maintenance, consume little electrical power, require almost no cooling, can have very high amplitude and pointing stability, and can be easily modulated at high frequencies (see [1] and the references therein). Using optical feedback techniques and employing stable current and temperature controllers [1, 2,3], laser diodes can be made to operate at a single frequency with a narrow linewidth, making them suitable for applications such as precision spectroscopy and laser cooling. Stabilized diode systems can often replace considerably more expensive systems requiring significant infrastructure and regular maintenance.…”