Patent ID: 7620082

Claim:
A method for seeding and stabilizing an optical device comprising: injecting the optical device with a seed signal; generating a detection signal of a high frequency modulation associated with an envelope of optical pulses produced by a beating between two or more of a plurality of longitudinal modes of the optical device; generating a feedback signal from an output of the optical device comprising detecting the high frequency modulation, and adjusting a wavelength of the seed signal or an optical length of an optical cavity of the optical device relative to each other to minimize the detected high frequency modulation so that the wavelength of the seed signal and one of a plurality of longitudinal modes of the optical device are matched; maintaining the match of the wavelength of the seed signal and one of a plurality of longitudinal modes of the optical device to provide stable operation of the optical device using the feedback signal; and wherein seeding the optical device comprises injecting the seed signal into the optical cavity of the optical device from outside the optical cavity through one of the optics that defines the optical cavity itself.