Output Power Optimization in 980-nm Pumping Lasers
Wavelength-Locked Using Fiber Bragg Gratings
by Akira Mugino * and Yuichiro Irie *2

When erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are pumped by 980-nm laser, fluctuations in
the pumping wavelength result in large variations in the gain and amplified output
in the 1550-nm band --a phenomenon known as pump-mediated inhomogeneity (PMI)--resulting
in stricter requirements with respect to wavelength variation in 980-nm laser modules.
Pumping lasers have been developed that use a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to suppress thesepumping wavelength fluctuations, but output power levels using an FBG for wavelength feedback
tend to be lower than without an FBG.
This output power drop must be kept as low as possible, and to this end the authors have carried out an analysis involving FBG reflectivity, laser front-facet reflectivity, the wavelength pulling
effect and the spatial hole-burning (SHB) effect. This paper discusses the concept of output
power optimization for 980-nm laser modules with FBGs, and presents a theoretical analysis andsimulation results.

ABSTRACT1.

INTRODUCTION

One of the advantages of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers(EDFAs) using a 980-nm pumping laser is low noise andlow temperature dependence of the gain characteristic.
Ordinary 980-nm laser modules, however, experience awavelength shift proportional to current injection that is
generally 0.03 nm/mA to the long-wavelength side. In configuring dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM)
systems, on the other hand, it is desirable to use an EDFA
with a gain that is made independent of the number ofchannels that are "on" by controlling the injection currentof the pumping laser module to regulate EDFA amplification.
But if injection current changes, the output wavelengthof the pumping laser will also change. The change inpumping wavelength will reflect the amplification output
characteristics at 1550 nm, and gain fluctuation will soon
exceed 1 dB. This phenomenon is known as pump-mediated inhomogeneity, or PMI. 1)
Considerable effort has been expended to develop
pumping lasers using FBGs as a means of suppressing
this fluctuation in pumping wavelength, but this has the
disadvantage that output power levels of lasers using an
FBG for wavelength feedback are always lower than for
those without an FBG. Minimizing this power drop
requires optimization of FBG reflectivity and laser frontfacet reflectivity, and this in turn necessitates analysis that**2

WA Team, Yokohama R & D Lab., R & D Div.
980-nm Laser Module Team, Yokohama R & D Lab., R & D
Div.

takes account of the wavelength pulling effect and thespatial hole-burning (SHB) effect. This paper presents theresults of simulations, and introduces the concept of optimized design of output power characteristics for a 980-nm
laser with FBG.

2.

MODULE STRUCTURE

Figure 1 shows the structure of an actual laser module.
The fabrication process involves first bonding the laser
chip on the submount, inserting it into the package, centering the chip using a wedge-shaped lensed fiber, andfinal YAG welding to complete the module. The empirical
Thermistor
Laser diode
Solder

Metallizing
Lensed fiber

Mount

Monitor
Produce

Mount

Heat sink
Carrier Laser diode 1st ferrule

Solder

Solder

2nd ferrule

Base

Peltier device

Figure 1

Package

Structure of 980-nm laser module

41

L1

L2

L3

C

r 10

Laser diode front facet

r 23

L)
ex p (- αt 1 2r 2 3C
t12 r21 r C 3
23
ex p (- α L )t12 r21 r C 2
23
ex p( -α L )
)
L
α
(
p
2 ex
αL)
αL)
r 3C
C3 ex p (2 C4 ex p (t 1 2r 2 1 2t 12r 21r 23
t 12r 21r 23

r eff =

α 3, β 3r 12 +C 2 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2jβ 3 ) L 3 }1-C 2 r 21 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2jβ 3 ) L 3 }

4 x
2 C e
r 2 1r 2 3

Figure 2 is a simplified diagram of a system for coupling
the lensed fiber with grating to a laser chip. The following
discussion will be conducted in terms of this simplified
coupling system.
Simulations of the various characteristics of an FBG
external cavity 6) were carried out using coupling efficiency
C, FBG reflectivity r23, reflectivity of the front facet of thelaser r12 (with an anti-reflection (AR) coating), reflectivity of
the rear facet of the laser r10 (with a high-reflectivity coating), and various laser chip parameters.
There are two points that are the most important for thedesign of a 980-nm laser module with FBG. They are:1) the maximum possible output power must be
obtained; and2) since it is necessary, for any given current or temperature, that the lasing wavelength be pulled in from theinherent lasing wavelength to the FBG reflected center wavelength and lase at the FBG wavelength, therange of wavelengths that are pulled should be as
wide as possible.
That is to say the module should achieve the optimum
trade-off between output power and pulling width. At thispoint as an analytical tool, we first relate the reflectivity ofr 10 ×ln

42

r 12 +C 2 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2j β 3 )L 3 }1-C 2 r 21 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2j β 3 )L 3 }

1
×
r 10

jβ 2 L 2 +(α 3 /2+jβ 3 ) L 3

r 12 +C 2 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2jβ 3 ) L 3 }1-C 2 r 21 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2jβ 3 ) L 3 }External cavity model for elucidating amplitudereflectivity reff

the anti-reflection coating of the front facet and FBG
reflectivity to the effective reflectivity shown in Figure 2
and derive the effective reflectivity. Because of the large
number of modes in which lasing can occur, we definereflectivity in the main mode, which has the greatest intensity, as effective reflectivity Reff. Next it is necessary toobtain accurate data on output power, taking into accountthe SHB phenomenon, which is due to inequality of carrier
density within the laser chip caused by the AR and HRreflectivity of the chip. That is to say it is possible to optimize output power by determining the laser module output
characteristics corresponding to the effective reflectivity.
In Section 4 below, we will find the optimum combinationof AR and FBG reflectivity. There will also be a detailed
discussion on the optimum trade-off between the settings
for output power and the pulling width.

4.

EFFECTIVE REFLECTIVITY AND
EXTERNAL CAVITY MIRROR LOSS

Effective reflectivity Reff was found by taking absolute values for the combination of reflected and transmitted components at the interfaces of the laser diode front facet,lensed fiber, grating, etc. shown in Figure 3. If, using
effective reflectivity Reff (reff is amplitude and Reff is powerreflectivity) in stead of the front-facet and rear-facet reflectivity of an ordinary laser (here r10 and reff), we can obtaina threshold condition equation as shown in Equation (1).
We may then rewrite the mirror loss from this thresholdcondition equation as Equation (2).
It should be noted that this differs from the so-called
mirror loss 1/L x 1n (R) as ordinarily used in that it is multielement, and it is a dimensionless value not divided bylength.

× exp{-Γ (α1 -g)+2j β 1 L 1 }=1

1-C 2 r 21 r 23 exp{-2jβ 2 L 2 -(α 3 +2j β 3 )(L 3 +L geff )}r 12 +C 2 r 23 exp{-2j β 2 L 2 -(α3 +2j β 3 )(L 3 +L geff )}

L)
αL

.
r eff =.

Figure 3

ANALYTICAL MODELp(-αt 1 2t 2 1

Simplified model for analyzing external cavity resonator using the concept of effective reflectivity Reffaverage coupling efficiency of laser and fiber was approximately 75-80%, 2) an improvement of about 10% compared to previous symmetrical 2-lens systems. In the
structure illustrated in Figure 1, the laser chip is fixed tothe package by means of the submount, and the leading
end of the wedged fiber and the front facet of the laser
chip are separated by several microns. The 1st ferrule ismounted on the pre-stage base by YAG welding, and the
2nd ferrule is attached at the neck by a solder encapsulating process. In this way the module that constitutes thecoupling system for the laser and fiber can be modeled tosimplify analysis.

3.

)

L)
2 ex p ( - αt 1 2r 2 3C

Γ, α 1 , g , β 1 , β 2

Figure 2

Gratingt 12 C ex p( -α L

r 12 r 12

Pf

r 12

r 10

Lens

(1)
(2)

Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

35

8

30

6

Output power (mW)

Mirror loss/net gain (a.u.)

7

5
4
3

966-nmthreshold position

Mirror loss
Gain (980 nm)
Gain (966 nm)
Gain (970 nm)

2
1

25
20

FBG_FWHM=1 nm
FBG_FWHM=2 nm

15
10

0

-2
965

Detail970

5980- & 970-nm
threshold position

-1
975

980

985

990

0
965

995

Figure 4

Mirror loss and net gain vs. gain peak wavelength
under threshold condition

PULLING WIDTHIn this section we describe the mechanism of wavelength
locking by the FBG by introducing the concept of pulling. It
is possible to find the various longitudinal modes (spectrum output) at which an external cavity laser can lase bymeans of numerical analysis of mirror loss and net gain asshown in Equation (2) and derived from the threshold condition in Equation (1). 3), 4) Figure 4, for example, is a spectrum diagram showing the relationship between mirror
loss and net gain for an ideal external cavity (AR=0) for
laser gain peak wavelengths λLD both inside (980 and 970nm) and outside (966 nm) the pulling range. As can beseen from Figure 4, when a change in laser diode gain is
produced by injected current or temperature, the mirror
loss characteristics are kept constant by the FBG despite
the change in gain peak wavelength, so that the longitudinal lasing mode that satisfies the threshold condition iseffectively locked in the vicinity of the FBG reflected center wavelength. It may further be seen that when the valueof the gain peak wavelength is separated from the FBG
reflected center wavelength by a certain value, normal
FBG mode lasing will cease and be replaced by FabryPerot-mode lasing in the vicinity of the normal gain peakwavelength (λFP). This value is hereafter referred to as thepulling width (λpull). In the example given above, the FBG
wavelength λFBG is set at 980 nm. At AR=0, the theoreticalpulling width is approximately 13.9 nm. This may be stated arithmetically as

λFBG - λFP = λpull

970

975

980

985

990

995

Wavelength (nm)Wavelength (nm)5.

FBG 10%, AR 5%,
FWHM=1&2 nm,
λFBG=979 nm,
λLD=979 nm,(3)

Thus the pulling width may be defined as shown inEquation (3). It may be pointed out that in fact the pulling
width actually differs slightly on the long- and short-wavelength sides of the FBG wavelength, but this distinction
will be ignored here.
In designing a pumping laser with FBGs, the first essential is that the lasing wavelength of the diode at the lasing
threshold value (or the gain peak wavelength) be within
the pulling width on the long-wavelength side of the FBG
frequency. It is also indispensable that the total longwavelength shift of the gain peak wavelength be within the

Figure 5Comparison of spectrum properties using FBGs with
FWHM set to 1 nm and 2 nm

pulling width even if the drive current increases to end-oflife (EOL) under constant temperature conditions. In thiscase it is best to set the lasing threshold wavelength λIthshorter than λFBG, so that, when the difference between
the EOL lasing wavelength λEOL and λIth is centered on
λFBG, left and right pulling can be achieved.

6.

THE EFFECT OF FBG FWHM

Next we investigated the effect of FBG full-width half maximum (FWHM) on pulling width, and it was found thateven when the FWHM value fluctuated by 1 or 2 nm, thesingle-side pulling width varied by only about 0.05 nm,
and the increase in lasing threshold current Ith was only
0.1 mA. Further investigation of the output spectrum
revealed that despite differences in the main lasing modeand spectrum width, the sum of all laser module outputs
was the same (see Figure 5). Further, the number of mainmodes lasing in the FBG was about 7 for a 1-nm FBG and
15 for a 2-nm FBG. Both FBGs have nearly the same free
spectral range of almost 0.17 nm, as against a laser diodelength of 800 µm. For this reason main mode spacing isvirtually determined by diode length.
Investigations into the static properties of the laser--theL-I characteristic and lasing wavelength stability--showedthat the FWHM value had an extremely large effect.
Generally speaking in stable lasing, the dL/dI value, whichis the slope of the output vs. current characteristic, showsa gradual linear decrease to the right. When, on the other
hand, repeated unstable lasing occurs with respect to acertain current, the dL/dI value takes on a kinked form.
However the constant change in lasing due to external
disturbance is not limited to pumping lasers with FBGs,
and main mode lasing may occur on either the short- or
long-wavelength side. For this reason if the main lasing
mode, which accounts for the greater part of the power, islocated in close proximity to the FWHM value of the FBG,
and in case it hops to the next longitudinal mode capableof lasing (located outside the FBG FWHM), there will be amarked change in laser output power and kinking of the LI characteristic.

43

Figure 6 shows the results of experiments on the L-I
characteristic using FBGs with an FWHM of 1 nm and 2
nm. It can be clearly seen that the dL/dI characteristic is
flatter at the greater FWHM. This may be attributed to thefact that when the FWHM is greater the number of modes
within the FWHM increases and the power is averaged.
In addition to stable lasing, however, it may also be
desirable to obtain lasing within a narrow range of wavelengths, and if the FWHM of the FBG is too wide, changes
in drive current, temperature or the operating environment
may broaden the fluctuations in lasing wavelength. Figure
7 shows the gain peak wavelength of a laser chip vs. thelasing wavelength of a laser module. It can be seen thatthe range of lasing wavelength fluctuation with respect toa change of gain peak wavelength from 970.3 to 987.7 nm
is 0.17 and 0.68 nm for FBGs with an FWHM of 1 nm and2 nm respectively. Taking these results together with therange of wavelength shift due to changes in the environment of the FBG, the fiber temperature coefficient, forexample, is approximately 0.01 nm/°C, so that, based ona room temperature of 25°C and an operating temperature range of -20°C to 65°C, there can be a wavelengthchange of about 0.4 nm. Using an FBG with an FWHM of
0.2 nm, there is a shift of half of 0.68 nm or 0.34 nm (since
the pulling width corresponding to the current shift is 8-9nm), so that there will be an overall wavelength shift ofsome 0.74 nm. Leaving some leeway, therefore, the per-

0.45

225

0.4

FBG 1nm_L-I

175

0.35

FBG 1nm_dL/dI

150

0.3

125

0.25
0.2

100
FBG 2nm_L-I

75

0.15

FBG 2nm_dL/dI
50

0.1

25

0

0
0

100

200

300

Efficiency dL/dI (mW/mA)

Output power L (mW)

200

0.05
500

400

Injection current I (mA)

Figure 6

Results of experiments on L-I characteristic using
FBGs with an FWHM of 1 nm and 2 nm

7.

AR & FBG REFLECTIVITY AND THE
RELATION TO Reff

Next simulations of the interrelationships between effective reflectivity Reff and AR and FBG reflectivity were run,taking account of coupling efficiency C. Figure 8 is a 3dimensional graph derived from the relationships between
the various parameters. The equations used are those set
forth in Figure 3.
The most striking finding is that there are major differences in Reff, depending on coupling efficiency C. For
example at AR=1% and FBG=6%, Reff was 6.5%, 7.75%
and 9.82% at a C of 65%, 75% and 90%, respectively. Asa typical case, Figure 8 shows the relationships between
Reff and AR and FBG reflectivity where C is 75%. We find,for example, that if we take AR reflectivity as constant andseek to establish the change in FBG, the change in Reff
will take the form of a rightward-rising curve, whereas if
we seek to establish the change in AR with FBG constant,the curve will be rightward-falling as AR becomes larger. It
can also be seen that at the same level of Reff, there are anumber of combination patterns of AR and FBG reflectivity.
When the AR coating is actually applied to the laser
chip, the chip is fabricated with a specific value in view sothat it is necessary to know what value of FBG reflectivity
should be adopted. In the following section, instead of Reff
and AR, as described above, we discus a method of optimizing laser output power using the model shown in
Figure 2.

8.

OUTPUT POWER CALCULATIONS,TAKING ACCOUNT OF SHBWith pumping lasers for EDFAs, the most important thingis to obtain the highest output power possible. The mostcommonly used method involves holding down the reflec-

Coupling efficiency: 75%
AR=1%, FBG=6% --> Reff=7.75%

992

Lasing wavelength (nm)missible range of lasing wavelengths for a pumping laser
with FBG is about 1 nm.

30
FBG 1 nmFBG 2 nm

987

25 Reff (%)
20
15

982

10
5

977
AR (%)
972
965

970

975

980

985

990

995

Gain peak wavelength (nm)Figure 7

44

Gain peak wavelength of laser chip vs. lasing wavelength using FBGs with an FWHM of 1 nm and 2 nm

Figure 8

AR=8
0
AR=4
AR=1
Rg=8
Rg=4
AR=0.1
FBG (%)
Rg=1
AR=0.01
Rg=0.1
Rg=0.01

Relationships between AR (1%) and FBG reflectivity
and Reff with 75% coupling coefficient

Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

tivity of the laser chip front facet and applying an HR coating to the rear facet, so that higher power is obtained fromthe front facet. This is because it is characteristic that output power increases monotonously with respect to front
facet reflectivity. In actual fact, however, a large optical
output signifies a large consumption of the carrier density
inside the laser: high power but low carrier density at thefront facet, and low output but high carrier density at therear facet. On the other hand, the carrier (current), which
is being injected uniformly from the laser electrode, is producing a process of electron-to-photon conversion over
the whole of the axial length of the laser. The carrier density is therefore dependent on facet reflectivity near both
facets, and is not uniformly distributed. This gives rise to
SHB, creating a phenomenon in which the laser front facet
output saturates with respect to reflectivity. 5)~7)
Thus there is an optimum reflectivity (AR reflectivity)that results in maximum output power. Further, when configuring an external cavity with an FBG, as shown in
Figure 2, the front facet reflectivity becomes equivalent toReff, so that in fact the optimum reflectivity corresponds toReff.
As was stated in the section above, there are a numberof combinations of AR and FBG reflectivity for a given
value of Reff, so that if AR is established, optimization canbe achieved by appropriate selection of the FBG.

Laser Chip internal distribution image
HR-coated facet

AR-coated facet
300

5.E+18

Example: AR=1%250
200

4.E+18

Conventional
constant Nth

3.E+18150

2.E+18100

1.E+1850

0.E+00

0
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12 13 14 15

Longitudinal position on chip

Figure 9Distribution of carrier density and internal power inthe propagation direction of laser chip

Coupling coefficient: 75%

Output power (mW)

180

10% line

Conventional method (165mW)
SHB method (165mW)

Power degradation (%)

200
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20

Pf (200mA)
Pf (200mA_SHB)
Pf (150mA)
Pf (150mA_SHB)
Pf (100mA)
Pf (100mA_SHB)
Pf (50mA)

20

9

18

8
7
6
5

0.1

1

10

100

Reflectivity of effective front facet (%)

Figure 10 Comparison of analyses of output power of a 980-nm
laser diode module using conventional and SHB
methods

16

C=90%

14

C=85%

12

C=80%

10

4

8

3
2
1

Pf (50mA_SHB)

0
0.01

10

0
0.1

C=75%
C=65%

6

Pulling width
C=90%
Pulling width
C=65%

Pulling width (nm)Carrier
PfrontPback
PowerInternal power (mW)

Carrier density (cm3)

6.E+18The graph in Figure 9 models the front and rear output
facets on the left and right axes, respectively, and shows
the optical power distribution to the front facet and AR
coating film and the carrier density distribution. A calculation in which carrier density Nth derived from the lasing
threshold condition is constant, without taking SHB into
account, may be termed the conventional method. It can
be clearly seen in Figure 9 that the distribution of carriers
consumed by SHB is not uniformly distributed. The dataon the graph shown as Pfront and Pback represent the output power of the front and rear facets respectively. Power,
then, is the sum of Pfront and Pback. Since this calculation
gives not only the optimum value of front facet AR reflectivity but also the facet output strength level, it is also possible to find the breakdown strength from the facet density. Figure 10 shows the relationship between the comparison of analyses of output power and the front facet reflectivity (AR and Reff) for a 980-nm laser diode module at a
coupling coefficient of 75% using conventional and SHB
methods.
In the conventional calculation, output goes up monotonously as the front facet reflectivity decreases, whereas incalculations taking account of SHB, it is clearly seen that
output power saturates at a given front facet reflectivity. It
is the front facet reflectivity immediately prior to this saturation that is the optimum value. Thus it is possible to estimate the output power of a laser module with FBG if calculation is done by the SHB method using Reff instead offront facet reflectivity (AR reflectivity). In this way the optimum FBG reflectivity can be determined for any given AR
reflectivity, and it is possible to optimize the design by
establishing the relationships between the power degradation percentage and the pulling width, in comparison withthe case in which there is no FBG. Based on the fact thata greater pulling width can be obtained when AR reflectivity is low, calculations were made with AR=1% and theresults are shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11 gives the important design guidelines. The
first step in the process of optimization is to establish an
AR reflectivity that is just short of output power saturation,and then establishing the FBG reflectivity, taking accountof pulling width and power degradation percentage as
obtained from a graph such as the one shown in Figure

4
2
0

1

10

FBG power reflectivity (%)

Figure 11 Power degradation percentage and wavelength
pulling width relative to FBG power reflectivity,
where AR=1%

45

Table 1

Pulling width at different combinations of AR andFBG reflectivity
AR reflectivity

Difference

1%

5%

6%

9.5 nm

8.02 nm1.48 nm10%10.5 nm

8.9 nm

1.6 nmDifference due to FBG

1 nm

0.88 nmFBG reflectivity

due to AR

11. Using the example in Figure 11, the FBG wavelengthis 979 nm and the limiting value for gain peak wavelength,
assuming a desired pulling width of 8-10 nm, would be
970 nm on the short-wavelength side and 988 nm on thelong-wavelength side. If a power degradation percentage
of 10% is then set as the limit, and assuming a coupling
efficiency by YAG welding of 65-90%, the range of reflectivity in which the FBG can be used will obviously be 46%.

9.

10. CONCLUSION
In optimizing the output power of a pumping laser with
FBG, there are many parameters that must be considered. They also affect each other rendering a perfect optimization difficult. In this paper we have set forth aspects
of design optimization taking into account an effective
reflectivity model and the spatial hole-burning effect withrespect to the design concept for producing FBG-mode
lasing in a stable, narrow wavelength range (within 1 nm),based on AR reflectivity and FBG reflectivity. Using thisdesign, it is proposed to fabricate a 980-nm pumping laser
with FBG having good characteristics.

SUMMARY

There are two ways to increase pulling width: reducing AR
reflectivity and increasing FBG reflectivity. Table 1 compares AR and FBG reflectivity for the major laser modules,
and shows that in all cases a decrease in AR results in acomparatively wide pulling width. Further, the fact that in
Figure 11 the power degradation percentage is larger thehigher the coupling efficiency, is due to the fact that Reff is
proportional to coupling efficiency as in Figure 3. Since
the larger the coupling efficiency the higher the output, it isobviously better to have a higher coupling efficiency.
From the above discussion, pulling width, power output
and power degradation percentage are optimized by the46

optimum selection of AR reflectivity and FBG reflectivity,
and the FWHM of the FBG requires comprehensive consideration of I-L characteristics, output power stability, kinkcurrent, etc. To sum up, the recommended values are an
AR of about 1-2% and an FBG FWHM of about 2 nm.

REFERENCES

1) NE Jolley and F Davis, OAA, TuD6-1, pp.139-142, 1998.
2) Akira Mugino et.al. : IEICE, Autumn National Convention
Record, C-3-105, 1997.
3) Akira Mugino et.al. : IEICE, Spring National Convention
Record, C-4-16, 1998.
4) Akira Mugino et.al.: Technical report of IEICE,LQE-7,1998.
5) Akira Mugino et.al. : IOOC/OFC'99 , TuC4, pp.29-31,1999.
6) Akira Mugino, (invited) Photonics East '99, Critical Reviews,
CR73-09, Boston, 1999.
7) T. Higashi et al, IEEE J.QE Vol.29 No.6, pp.1918-1923, 1993.
Manuscript received on December 1, 1999.

Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000