Patent ID: 7483458

Claim:
A method of controlling laser wavelength variations in a semiconductor laser, said method comprising: configuring said laser for single mode optical emission of encoded data, at least one parameter of said optical emission being a function of a drive current injected into said semiconductor laser; configuring said drive current to comprise a drive portion and a wavelength recovery portion, wherein said drive portion of said drive current comprises a drive amplitude I D and a drive duration t D , said wavelength recovery portion of said drive current comprises a recovery amplitude I R and a recovery duration t R , said recovery amplitude I R is sufficiently low to decrease photon density in the semiconductor laser and is distinct from said drive amplitude I D , said recovery duration t R is less than said drive duration t D , and said recovery amplitude I R and said recovery duration t R are at least partially independent of said encoded data; and utilizing said drive current comprising said drive portion and said wavelength recovery portion to operate said laser.