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Fundamentals of Laser Diode Control

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Fundamentals of Laser Diode Control

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To assess the quality, performance, and characteristics of laser diodes, manufacturers often perform exhaustive testing which requires electro-optical, spectral and spatial characterization of the laser output. A laser diode's output is dependent on its injection current and temperature. Therefore, tightly controlling these parameters using laser diode current and temperature controllers is critical for extracting important operational parameters. An example of a laser diode test and characterization set-up is shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, laser diodes are expensive and have delicate electronic loads requiring controllers to be capable of protecting these devices while ensuring their output is stable. In general, the term "driver" typically refers to a current source while a "controller" often refers to an all-in-one current source and temperature-control mechanism.

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