Detailed comparison of performance of a Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser under both strong and weak injection

Abstract

We numerically and experimentally investigate and compare the performance of a Fabry-Perot laser diode (FP-LD) under both strong- and weak-injection in detail. The numerical simulation results prove that the optically injection-locked semiconductor laser will become stable in the injection-locking region under the above two conditions. Nonetheless, the former can achieve stability faster than the latter whatever the frequency detuning is. The dynamic injection-locking map and the property of side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) for the optically injection-locked FP-LD are experimentally obtained, and associated experiment phenomena are observed and qualitatively discussed for both conditions. Our experiments show that quite different dynamics occur in the two conditions, with weak-injection arrangement offering overall benefits in terms of more complicated dynamics and potential application.