Laser transmitter for undersea communications using third-harmonic generation of fiber-laser system at 1.5 μm

Pavel Polynkin, Rostislav Roussev, M. M. Fejer, N. Peyghambarian, Jerome Moloney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report a viable laser transmitter for free-space undersea communications. An all-fiber, picosecond, Watt-level master-oscillator-power-amplifier (MOPA) system at 1.5 μm based on rapid amplification of mode-locked pulses in heavily Er:Yb codoped phosphate fiber is combined with fiber pigtailed lithium niobate intensity modulator (pulse picker), to construct a fully integrated eye-safe transmitter operating at 65-Mb/s data rate, that can be used in intermediate-range (few kilometers) atmospheric communication links. For undersea use, the output of the MOPA system is frequency-tripled into the blue-green transparency window of ocean water. The wavelength conversion occurs in a simple single-pass setup utilizing a sequence of two periodically poled lithium niobate crystals, both of which are operated at room temperature. The conversion efficiency from fundamental to third harmonic reached 14% and resulted in generation of 140 mW of average power at 518 nm. The conversion efficiency can be straightforwardly increased threefold using properly antireflection-coated optics in the free-space part of the setup, and the data rate can be scaled up into the gigabit-per-second range by using a faster mode-locked oscillator in the MOPA system.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1328-1330
Number of pages3
JournalIEEE Photonics Technology Letters
Volume19
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2007

Keywords

  • Mode-locked fiber lasers
  • Nonlinear wavelength conversion
  • Optical undersea communications
  • Periodically poled crystals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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