Abstract.
We have characterized a semiconductor amplifier laser system which provides up to 200 mW output after a single-mode optical fiber at 780 nm wavelength. The system is based on a tapered semiconductor gain element, which amplifies the output of a narrow-linewidth diode laser. Gain and saturation are discussed as a function of operating temperature and injection current. The spectral properties of the amplifier are investigated with a grating spectrometer. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) causes a spectral background with a width of 4 nm FWHM. The ASE background was suppressed to below our detection limit by a proper choice of operating current and temperature and by sending the light through a single-mode optical fiber. The final ASE spectral density was less than 0.1 nW/MHz, i.e. less than 0.2% of the optical power. Related to an optical transition linewidth of Γ/2π=6 MHz for rubidium, this gives a background suppression of better than -82 dB. An indication of the beam quality is provided by the fiber coupling efficiency of up to 59%. The application of the amplifier system as a laser source for atom-optical experiments is discussed.
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Received: 8 May 2000 / Revised version: 21 September 2000 / Published online: 7 February 2001
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Voigt, D., Schilder, E., Spreeuw, R. et al. Characterization of a high-power tapered semiconductor amplifier system . Appl Phys B 72, 279–284 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003400100513
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003400100513