Etalon of optical frequency for the telecommunication spectral region

摘要

We present a design of a stabilized laser system, an etalon of the optical frequency at the 1.5 μm band following the demands of the telecommunication industry in the Czech Republic. Our laser system employs a DFB laser diode in a two stage fully digital stabilizing scheme. The linear absorption arrangement with an acetylene filled absorption cell of a pressure about 1 kPa is used to lock the laser to the Doppler-broadened lines. To achieve a reliable and robust stabilization of the laser frequency we arranged a two-loop digital servo-system overcoming the problem of a narrow locking range of the detected transition. The wavelength of the laser is modulated by current and the servo-control and tuning is performed by a fast and precise thermal control. To achieve the resolution of the weak sub-Doppler transitions we assembled a locking scheme via frequency-modulation spectroscopy to the high finesse cavity. The system is assembled using predominantly fibre-optic components. A technology of acetylene absorption cells with AR coated windows is presented as well.