Demonstration of arbitrary channel selection utilizing a pulse-injected semiconductor laser with a phase-locked loop

An arbitrary channel selection system based on a pulse-injected semiconductor laser with a phase-locked loop (PLL) is experimentally demonstrated and characterized. Through optical injection from a tunable laser, channels formed by the frequency components of a microwave frequency comb generated in the pulse-injected semiconductor laser are individually selected and enhanced. Selections of a primary channel at the fundamental frequency of 1.2 GHz and a secondary channel in a range from 10.8 to 18 GHz are shown, where the selection is done by adjusting the injection strength from the tunable laser. Suppression ratios of 44.5 and 25.9 dB between the selected primary and secondary channels to the averaged magnitude of the unwanted channels are obtained, respectively. To show the spectral quality of the pulse-injected laser, a single sideband (SSB) phase noise of -60 dBc/kHz at an offset frequency of 25 kHz is measured. Moreover, the conversion gain between the primary and secondary channels and the crosstalk between the selected channels to the adjacent unwanted channels are also investigated. Without the need of expensive external modulators, arbitrary channel selection is realized in the proposed system where the channel spacing and selection can be continuously adjusted through tuning the controllable laser parameters.