Frequency stabilization of diode lasers

摘要

Diode lasers are compact and low cost alternatives to huge and expensive dye lasers for many atomic physics experiments such as laser cooling and trapping of atoms, high resolution spectroscopy, etc. Tremendous improvements in the diode laser fabrication technology in the recent past have made it possible to obtain single mode output with hundreds of mW output power in cw lasers. Linewidth of diode lasers can be reduced to kHz level by optical feedback from a frequency selective element in an external cavity configuration. Wavelength tunability of approximately 10 nm or more by variations of temperature, injection current and external cavity parameters make diode lasers a very desirable laser source for frequency stabilization against saturated absorption of alkali atoms and locking the laster frequency to a desired atomic transition with electronic servocontrol. Such frequency stabilized diode laster systems have been successfully used for various novel experiments in many research laboratories all over the world.