Analysis for Commanding the Self-Pulsation of DFB Laser Diode With Electronic Feedback for Photonic Analog-to-Digital Conversion Application

Theoretical investigation on commanding the self-pulsation characteristics of the semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) laser using electronic feedback is carried out in this paper. This device can be used as the sample-and-hold element for high-speed photonic analog-to-digital converter circuit. A recommendation for experimental realization of this scheme with the short-feedback-delay requirement is proposed. The effect of the feedback loop parameters have been simulated numerically based on the rate equations to manipulate the relaxation oscillation frequency of the laser. The results, which to our knowledge are reported for the first time, clearly demonstrate the effect of the feedback loop parameters on the laser intensity modulation frequency response transfer function. A detailed analysis of the noise effects on the performance of this system is also carried out. The conclusion establishes that the theoretical foundation for optimizing and controlling the DFB laser system pulsing source for the photonic analog-to-digital conversion application by tuning the laser drive current may have the potential to replace mode-locked fiber lasers in many other applications, from radio frequency (RF) photonics to chaos communication.