The influence of the unlocked characteristics of a self-pulsating laser diode on synchronization

Abstract

All-optical synchronization and timing extraction based on self-pulsating twin section lasers has been demonstrated. We investigate the variation of the unlocked full-widthat- half-maximum of the fundamental of the RF spectrum of a self-pulsating laser diode. We show for the first time that the value of the unlocked FWHM has a direct influence on the power required to maintain synchronization. We also show that the variation of the FWHM with frequency is dependent on the slope of the absorber bias versus self-pulsation frequency characteristic. The results have important implications for the design and selection of self-pulsating laser diodes for synchronization applications.