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Mode Hopping in Semiconductor Lasers

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Mode Hopping in Semiconductor Lasers

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  • Author: T.A. Heumier, J.L. Cartsten
Semiconductor lasers fi nd widespread use in fi beroptic communications, merchandising (bar-code scanners), entertainment (videodisc and compact disc players), and in scientifi c inquiry (spectroscopy, laser cooling). Some applications require a minimum degree of stability of wavelength that is not met by some of these lasers: Under some conditions, semiconductor lasers can discontinuously switch wavelengths in a back-and-forth manner. This is called mode hopping. In this Application Note, we show that mode hopping is directly correlated to noise in the total intensity, and that this noise is easily detected by a photodiode. We also show that there are combinations of laser case temperature and injection current that lead to mode hopping.

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