학술논문

Laser diode coherence.
Document Type
Article
Source
American Journal of Physics. Sep2020, Vol. 88 Issue 9, p740-745. 6p.
Subject
*SEMICONDUCTOR lasers
*LIGHT emitting diodes
*MONOCHROMATIC light
*MICHELSON interferometer
*MIRRORS
Language
ISSN
0002-9505
Abstract
We use a Michelson interferometer to explore the spectroscopic properties of laser diode emission over a wide range of operational conditions. By studying how the interferogram changes with drive current, we demonstrate the relationship between coherence length and spectral bandwidth. At low injection current, the laser source operates more like an ordinary light-emitting diode (LED), generating a relatively broad spectrum with short coherence length. In contrast, when the drive current exceeds the single-mode lasing threshold, we obtain a steady sinusoidal interferogram throughout the movable mirror scanning range, indicative of monochromatic light. At intermediate injection, we observe a beating pattern due to the presence of multiple longitudinal lasing modes. We verify that the beat distance, or optical travel between beats, is consistent with the spectrally validated mode spacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]