Tunable continuous-wave dual-wavelength laser by external-cavity superluminescent diode with a volume Bragg grating and a diffraction grating

We demonstrate the tunable continuous-wave dual-wavelength laser based on a double external-cavity superluminescent diode (SLD). The double external cavity consisted of a volume Bragg grating (VBG) and a diffraction grating bracketing the SLD's two facets. The VBG was used as an output coupler to enable the external-cavity SLD to achieve a stable wavelength. A narrow bandwidth of 0.25 nm was achieved in single-wavelength operation. The diffraction grating served as an end mirror to create another tunable wavelength external cavity for the SLD. A wavelength tuning range of 23 nm was achieved. The laser output of the double external-cavity SLD had a tunable spectral separation with dual-wavelengths from +6.42 to −16.94 nm. An output power of up to 37.7 mW was achieved with a frequency difference of 7.1 THz.