In an embodiment a semiconductor laser component includes a plurality of semiconductor lasers, each of the semiconductor lasers configured to emit primary electromagnetic radiation of a primary spectral bandwidth in a visible wavelength range and a beam combiner configured to combine the primary electromagnetic radiations emitted from the semiconductor lasers, form secondary electromagnetic radiation from a superposition of the primary electromagnetic radiations of the semiconductor lasers and couple the secondary electromagnetic radiation out from the beam combiner, wherein the secondary electromagnetic radiation has a secondary spectral bandwidth that is at least twice as large as an average value of the primary spectral bandwidths.

Method and gas analyzer for measuring the concentration of a gas component in a sample gas, wherein to measure the concentration of a gas component in a sample gas, a laser diode is actuated by a current and light generated by the laser diode is guided through the sample gas to a detector, the current is simultaneously varied within periodically successive sampling intervals for the wavelength-dependent sampling of an absorption line of interest of the gas component, and the current can be additionally modulated sinusoidally based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy with a low frequency and small amplitude, such that a measuring signal generated by the detector is evaluated to form a measurement result, where to improve the measuring signal-noise ratio and achieve a much lower detection limit with the same measuring distance, the current is modulated with a high (RF) frequency in the GHz range so that no wavelength modulation occurs, and an RF modulation amplitude is selected at the maximum level using the linear control range of the laser diode where, before evaluation, the measuring signal is demodulated at the radio frequency.

A control circuit in this laser equipment drives a drive circuit of a photonic crystal laser element under a predetermined condition. It was found that a wavelength width of a laser beam to be output from the photonic crystal laser element is dependent on a standardized drive current k and a pulse width T, and had a predetermined relationship with these. By meeting this condition, a laser beam with a plurality of wavelengths can be controlled and output.

A laser that emits light at all available frequencies distributed throughout the spectral bandwidth or emission bandwidth of the laser in a single pulse or pulse train is disclosed. The laser is pumped or seeded with photons having frequencies distributed throughout the superunitary gain bandwidth of the gain medium. The source of photons is a frequency modulated photon source, and the frequency modulation is controlled to occur in one or more cycles timed to occur within a time scale for pulsing the laser.

In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a multi junction light source configured to emit an optical signal. The multi junction light source includes a seed laser diode configured to produce a seed optical signal and a multi junction semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) configured to amplify the seed optical signal to produce the emitted optical signal. The lidar system also includes a receiver configured to detect a portion of the emitted optical signal scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system further includes a processor configured to determine the distance from the lidar system to the target based on a round-trip time for the portion of the scattered optical signal to travel from the lidar system to the target and back to the lidar system.

An optical device includes a light-emitting device integrated with a memory device. The memory device include a first electrode and a second electrode, and the light-emitting device includes a third electrode and the second electrode. In such configuration, a first voltage between the second electrode and the third electrode causes the light-emitting device to emit light of a first wavelength, and a second voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode while the memory device is at OFF state causes the light-emitting device to emit light of a second wavelength shorter than the first wavelength or while the memory device is at ON state causes the light-emitting device to emit light of a third wavelength longer than the first wavelength.

An angular sensitive time-of-flight position sensor device is provided and includes an array of pixels each comprising: a planar waveguide structure; a collection area with a grating pattern at a specific periodicity to couple incident light into the planar waveguide structure; at least one detector placed outside of the collection area and in a plane different from that of the planar waveguide structure; an output coupler to direct the light from planar waveguide to the at least one detector; a mask to shield the at least one detector from direct illumination; a narrow band light source that illuminates a field-of-view; a first electronics configured to detect the time-of-flight of light retroreflected, scattered, or both incident onto the position sensor and configured to provide distance ranging information; and a second electronics configured to interpret and retain time-of-flight information and configured to communicate with external electronics for system applications.

A device controller (16) for directing a drive current (12A) to a device (12) includes a current driven power source (40) that is electrically connected to the device (12); and a current adjuster (22) electrically connected to the power source (40) in parallel to the device (12). The current adjuster (22) selectively adjusts the drive current (12A) directed to the device (12). For a laser (12), the current adjuster (22) can adjust the drive current (12A) to modulate a center wavelength of an illumination beam (20) generated by the laser (12).

Disclosed herein are multi-layered optically active regions for semiconductor light-emitting devices (LEDs) that incorporate intermediate carrier blocking layers, the intermediate carrier blocking layers having design parameters for compositions and doping levels selected to provide efficient control over the carrier injection distribution across the active regions to achieve desired device injection characteristics. Examples of embodiments discussed herein include, among others: a multiple-quantum-well variable-color LED operating in visible optical range with full coverage of RGB gamut, a multiple-quantum-well variable-color LED operating in visible optical range with an extended color gamut beyond standard RGB gamut, a multiple-quantum-well light-white emitting LED with variable color temperature, and a multiple-quantum-well LED with uniformly populated active layers.

Stabilizing an electromagnetic radiation (1) of an optical oscillator (3), in particular of a laser (13), includes measuring a deviation (35, 37, 43) between the electromagnetic radiation (1) of the optical oscillator (3) and a reference (21, 23, 39, 41) and generating a first deviation signal (35, 37, 43), controlling a first controller (55) with the first deviation signal (35, 37, 43), setting the first deviation signal (35, 37, 43, 38) by controlling at least a first manipulated variable (5, 7, 89) of at least two manipulated variables (5, 7, 89), the first manipulated variable (5, 7, 89) being controlled by a first output signal (57) of the first controller (55) and the first manipulated variable (5, 7, 89) affecting the first electromagnetic radiation (1) of the optical oscillator (3), and generating a modulation signal (65) with a modulation unit (63), and controlling the first or a second manipulated variable (5, 7, 89) with the modulation signal (65), demodulating the first output signal (57) of the first controller (55) with the modulation signal (65) and generating a second deviation signal (71) from a fixed value (73), controlling a second controller (74) with the second deviation signal (71) and controlling one of the manipulated variables (5, 7, 89) with an output signal (75) of the second controller (74) and setting the second deviation signal (71).