Analysis, fabrication, and characterization of tunable DFB lasers with chirped gratings

Describes the analysis, fabrication, and characterization of chirped grating tunable distributed-feedback (CGT DFB) semiconductor lasers. Both theoretical and experimental results show that the wavelength tunability of DFB lasers can be enhanced by introducing a pitch-chirped grating structure. The tuning mechanism is also theoretically demonstrated. The proposed CGT DFB laser will be useful in optical systems using wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks and other applications, due to its broader continuous tunability and very easy fabrication.