The invention relates to a tunable laser source, and the reduction in the loss and the size can both be achieved in a tunable laser source having a power monitor and a wavelength locker function. A tunable laser is formed of a semiconductor optical amplifier and a resonator, and one of the two output light beams split from part of the light within the tunable laser by a 2×2 type optical splitter is incident into a light intensity monitor, and the other is incident into a wavelength locker.

A compact, wavelength-stabilized laser source is provided by utilizing a specialty gain element (i.e., formed to include a curved waveguide topology), where a separate wavelength stabilization component (for example, a fiber Bragg grating (FBG)) is used one of the mirrors for the laser cavity. That is, the FBG takes the place of the physical “front facet” of the gain element, and functions to define the laser cavity in the first instance, while also utilizing the grating structure to impart the desired wavelength stability to the output from the packaged laser source. As a result, the FBG is disposed within the same package used to house the gain element and provides a wavelength-stabilized laser source in a compact form.

A tunable laser for tuning a lasing mode based on light beams travelling through at least one block of channel waveguides with at least two tunable combs, includes: a frequency selective optical multiplexer comprising a first terminal for receiving/transmitting light, at least one block of channel waveguides, each channel waveguide having a reflectively coated first tail and a second tail, and an optical coupling element optically coupling the first terminal with the second tails of the channel waveguides of the at least one block of channel waveguides, each of the channel waveguides having a different length; a gain element generating a broad spectrum of light, the gain element coupling the first terminal of the frequency selective optical multiplexer with a reflective element.

An optical element includes a distributed Bragg reflector, wherein the distributed Bragg reflector includes a first-order diffraction grating of a first-order period disposed in a central region, and second-order diffraction gratings of a second-order period having a coupling coefficient smaller than a coupling coefficient of the first-order diffraction grating and disposed in both end regions between which the central region is located.

A semiconductor-laser-device assembly includes a mode-locked semiconductor-laser-element assembly including a mode-locked semiconductor laser element, and a dispersion compensation optical system, on which laser light emitted from the mode-locked semiconductor laser element is incident and from which the laser light is emitted; and a semiconductor optical amplifier having a layered structure body including a group III-V nitride-based semiconductor layer, the semiconductor optical amplifier configured to amplify the laser light emitted from the mode-locked semiconductor-laser-element assembly.

Provided is an optical transmission module in which noise is further reduced. The optical transmission module includes a first semiconductor layer having a first electrode arranged thereon, an active layer with a stripe shape formed on the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer with a stripe shape formed on the active layer. The second semiconductor layer has a second electrode arranged thereon and includes a diffraction grating arranged along an extending direction of the active layer. The active layer includes a first portion having first stripe width, a second portion having a second stripe width smaller than the first stripe width, and a connection portion having a varying stripe width so as to connect the first portion and the second portion to each other. The diffraction grating overlaps with the first portion and does not overlap with the second portion in planar view.

A quantum dot comb laser, is provided that comprises a first waveguide having a first width; and a second waveguide running above the first waveguide that includes: a quantum dot layer; a first region of a second width less than the first width; a second region connected to the first region and comprising a reflective grating; and a third region connected at a first end to the second region and at a second end to an output surface wherein the third region tapers from the second width at the first end to a third width, less than the second width, at the second end.

A parallel cavity tunable laser generally includes a semiconductor laser body defining a plurality of parallel laser cavities with a common output. Each of the parallel laser cavities is configured to be driven independently to generate laser light at a wavelength within a different respective wavelength range. The wavelength of the light generated in each of the laser cavities may be tuned, in response to a temperature change, to a channel wavelength within the respective wavelength range. The laser light generated in each selected one of the laser cavities is emitted from the common output at a front facet of the laser body. By selectively generating light in one or more of the laser cavities, one or more channel wavelengths may be selected for lasing and transmission.

A QCL may include a substrate, and a semiconductor layer adjacent the substrate. The semiconductor layer may define branch active regions, and a stem region coupled to output ends of the branch active regions. Each branch active region may have a number of stages less than 30.

Building blocks are provided for on-chip chemical sensors and other highly-compact photonic integrated circuits combining interband or quantum cascade lasers and detectors with passive waveguides and other components integrated on a III-V or silicon. A MWIR or LWIR laser source is evanescently coupled into a passive extended or resonant-cavity waveguide that provides evanescent coupling to a sample gas (or liquid) for spectroscopic chemical sensing. In the case of an ICL, the uppermost layer of this passive waveguide has a relatively high index of refraction that enables it to form the core of the waveguide, while the ambient air, consisting of the sample gas, functions as the top cladding layer. A fraction of the propagating light beam is absorbed by the sample gas if it contains a chemical species having a fingerprint absorption feature within the spectral linewidth of the laser emission.