Patent ID: 8670470
Filing Date: 2014-03-11
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. A tunable laser comprising: a. an optical cavity comprising a first and second mirror; b. a gain medium positioned in the optical cavity; c. a thermally tunable optical filter comprising an integrated resistive heater positioned in the optical cavity, the thermally tunable optical filter being heated to a temperature that selects a desired optical mode of the optical cavity; and d. a thermally tunable optical phase retarder comprising an integrated resistive heater positioned in the optical cavity, the thermally tunable optical phase retarder being heated to a temperature that changes an optical path length in the optical cavity, independent of the physical cavity length, by an amount corresponding to a resonant frequency of the tunable optical filter so that a phase-matching condition of the optical cavity is shifted to the desired optical mode of the optical cavity selected by the thermally tunable optical filter.