Narrow-optical linewidth laser generation devices and methods for generating a narrow-optical linewidth laser beam are provided. One narrow-optical linewidth laser generation devie includes a single-wavelength mirror or multiwavelength mirror (for comb lasers) formed from one or more optical ring resonators coupled with an optical splitter. The optical splitter may in turn be coupled with a quantum dot optical amplifier (QDOA), itself coupled with a phase-tuner. The phase tuner may be further coupled with a broadband mirror. The narrow-optical linewidth laser beam is generated by using a long laser cavity and additionally by using an integrated optical feedback.

A laser device includes a seed laser, a plurality of optical amplifiers, and an optical distribution assembly. The seed laser is configured to emit seed laser light. The plurality of optical amplifiers is configured to generate amplified laser light by amplifying the seed laser light. The optical distribution assembly is configured to distribute the seed laser light to an input of each of the optical amplifiers in the plurality and each of the optical amplifiers is configured to direct its respective amplified laser light to a common target.

A semiconductor laser is provided with: an active layer that excites a transverse electric (TE) mode and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode of light and constitutes at least a part of a resonator guiding the TE mode and the TM mode of light; and a diffraction grating as a frequency difference setting structure that sets the difference in oscillation frequency between the TE mode and the TM mode of light higher than a relaxation-oscillation frequency.

A first calculation unit calculates an acceleration factor of lifetime consumption of the light source with as case of a standard temperature and standard drive condition as a reference, a second calculation unit calculates a whole lifetime or remaining lifetime of individual light sources relative to a performance index of the individual light sources or a change rate of the performance index, a computation unit obtains an effective cumulative driving time at which the magnitude of influence imparted on the lifetime is equivalent with a case of driving at the standard temperature and standard drive condition, by calculating a time integral of the acceleration factor, and a recording unit records the effective cumulative driving time and the whole lifetime or remaining lifetime together with an optical output characteristic of the light source.

A first calculation unit calculates an acceleration factor of lifetime consumption of the light source with as case of a standard temperature and standard drive condition as a reference, a second calculation unit calculates a whole lifetime or remaining lifetime of individual light sources relative to a performance index of the individual light sources or a change rate of the performance index, a computation unit obtains an effective cumulative driving time at which the magnitude of influence imparted on the lifetime is equivalent with a case of driving at the standard temperature and standard drive condition, by calculating a time integral of the acceleration factor, and a recording unit records the effective cumulative driving time and the whole lifetime or remaining lifetime together with an optical output characteristic of the light source.

A VCSEL device includes a first electrical contact, a substrate, a second electrical contact, and an optical resonator arranged on a first side of the substrate. The optical resonator includes a first reflecting structure comprising a first distributed Bragg reflector, a second reflecting structure comprising a second distributed Bragg reflector, an active layer arranged between the first and second reflecting structures, and a guiding structure. The guiding structure is configured to define a first relative intensity maximum of an intensity distribution within the active layer at a first lateral position such that a first light emitting area is provided, to define at least a second relative intensity maximum of the intensity distribution within the active layer at a second lateral position such that a second light emitting area is provided, and to reduce an intensity in between the at least two light-emitting areas during operation.

A light source device includes: a laser diode including an emission end surface for emitting laser light and a rear end surface opposite to the emission end surface; a reflecting member that reflects a portion of the laser light emitted from the emission end surface of the laser diode; a photodetector configured to detect light that is reflected at the reflecting member; and a light-shielding member disposed between the rear end surface of the laser diode and the photodetector, the light-shielding member configured to shield at least a portion of light emitted from the rear end surface of the laser diode.

The invention relates to a laser light source (10), comprising an arrangement (120) of surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (1251, 1252, . . . 125n) to which a voltage is applied such that an operating current is below the threshold current and an intrinsic emission of the surface-emitting semiconductor laser is prevented. The laser light source also comprises a first semiconductor laser (100) which emits radiation (110) that enters the surface-emitting semiconductor laser such that induced emission takes place via the injection locking mechanism and the individual surface-emitting semiconductor lasers emit laser light having the same wavelength and polarisation direction as the irradiated radiation (110). The emission frequency of the first semiconductor laser can be changed by changing the operating current.

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.

The invention relates to a method for generating a laser pulse, wherein during the method a first semi-conductor laser in the form of a broadband laser diode is used to generate a pump laser pulse, the pump laser pulse is used to pump a second semi-conductor laser, the laser pulse being shorter than the pump laser pulse and the second semi-conductor laser comprising at least 20 quantum wells arranged above one another in the emission direction of the laser pulse.