Wavelength-swept fiber laser based on acousto-optic tuning method

In this study, we have demonstrated a wavelength-swept fiber laser based on an acousto-optic tunable filter(AOTF) as a selective element and a semiconductor optical amplifier(SOA) as a gain medium in an internal fiber ring cavity. The light deriving from one port of the SOA goes through an optical isolator, the AOTF, a fiber coupler and a polarized controller successively, then it goes back to the other port of the SOA to form a ring cavity. The laser output is from another port of the fiber coupler. The laser made by this method is mainly used for swept-source optical coherence tomography(SS-OCT). The application of the SOA provides a sufficiently broad range and can ensure an increased axial resolution of SS-OCT. AOTF offers a wide tuning range, high switching speed and stable operation against vibration for the non-mechanical structure. The proposed wavelength-swept fiber laser ensures a high axial resolution of tomographic images and has a stable laser output. We have discussed the influence of the SOA injection current to the tuning range of the laser. In the SOA injection current of 280 mA, a continuous wavelength tuning range from 1295 to 1370 nm centered at a wavelength of 1330nm is obtained at the sweep rate of 1.06 kHz, and the power of the swept source was 1.14 mW. In addition, for quantitative characterization of the wavelength-swept performance with a AOTF, we have theoretically and experimentally analyzed the influence of the following controllable parameters: injection current, output power and sweeping frequency.