Journal article
Narrow linewidth tunable external cavity diode laser using wide bandwidth filter
Daniel J Thompson, Robert E Scholten
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS | AMER INST PHYSICS | Published : 2012
DOI: 10.1063/1.3687441
Abstract
We demonstrate single mode operation of an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) employing an interference filter with multimode bandwidth for mode selection. A cateye reflector maximizes feedback efficiency and reduces susceptibility to intra-cavity optical misalignment. Narrow linewidths of 26 kHz are observed, and the laser can be tuned over 14 nm using a single 785 nm filter, without alteration of the output beam direction. The cateye reflector and filter allow a mechanically rigid design free of significant mechanical resonances, illustrated by comparison of the frequency noise spectrum with that of a common Littrow ECDL design using a diffraction grating and kinematic mount.
Grants
Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank E. Riis for helpful discussions and early results at 670 nm, and S. D. Saliba and D. V. Sheludko for advice and assistance. This work was supported by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP1096025. D.J.T. gratefully acknowledges the support of an Ernst and Grace Matthaei scholarship.