Wavelength switchable semiconductor laser using half-wave coupled active double-ring resonator

Abstract

A semiconductor laser comprises two optical ring resonators, each comprising an optical waveguide electrically pumped to provide optical gain. The two ring resonators have different round-trip optical path lengths, and are coupled to each other through a half-wave optical coupler. The half-wave optical coupler has a predetermined cross-coupling coefficient and a 180-degree cross-coupling phase. The cross-coupling coefficient is substantially less than the self-coupling coefficients in order to achieve an optimal single-mode selectivity of the laser. The first ring resonator has an optical path length such that its resonant wavelengths correspond to a set of discrete operating channels. The second ring resonator has a slightly different length so that only one resonant wavelength coincides with one of the resonant wavelengths of the first ring resonator over the operating spectral window. The lasing action occurs at the common resonant wavelength. In operation, at least a portion of the optical waveguide in each of the first and the second ring resonators are forward biased to provide substantially equal round-trip optical gains. The second ring resonator is tuned by varying the effective refractive index of a portion of the waveguide through an electrical means, resulting in wavelength switching among the set of discrete operating wavelengths as determined by the first ring resonator.