Abstract

Fiber grating lasers (FGLs) are external cavity lasers that have attracted a lot of interest recently (OFC'94, ECOC'96). They consist of a laser diode with an antireflection (AR) coating at one end and a grating that has been written on a prelensed photosensitive fiber using a method of holographic exposure. They have small size and can be easily manufactured using low-cost standard technology. They can provide high output power, they exhibit narrow linewidth (~560 kHz) and low chirp, and they can be modulated at high bit rates (≥2.5 Gbit/sec),^1,2 which are all properties required for modem lightwave communication systems.

© 1996 Optical Society of America