Frequency-locked 1.3- and 1.5- mu m semiconductor lasers for lightwave systems applications

A simple technique for frequency-locking 1.3- and 1.5- mu m lasers to an excited-state atomic transition of noble gases using the optogalvanic effect is described. Many of the atomic transitions useful for these spectral regions are tabulated. The performance of frequency-locked lasers under direct frequency modulation is analyzed. It is shown that neither the frequency stability nor the receiver sensitivity shows any serious degradation when a frequency-locked laser is used in a frequency shift keying (FSK) transmission experiment.<
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