METHOD OF CHARACTERIZING BISTABLE SEMICONDUCTOR LASER

PURPOSE: To measure the nonlinear refractive index coefficient of a bistable semiconductor laser by utilizing the laser indicated by the intensity of the laser light emitted from the laser as the function of the intensity of input light and a hysteresis loop and, at the same time, to completely optically characterize the laser. CONSTITUTION: A laser beam emitted from a laser 3 is transmitted to an acoustooptical device 6 on a amplitude-modulated carrier through an insulating device 5. The beam 6 coming out from the device 6 is sent to a beam splitter 8 and the beam transmitted through the splitter 8 is optically amplified after the beam is sent to a laser 1, collected by means of a photodetector 9, again amplified 10, and inputted to an oscilloscope 11. The beam reflected by the splitter 8 is collected by another photodetector 12, amplified 13, and inputted to the oscilloscope 11. Therefore, the transmission hysteresis loop of the laser 1 is established. A data processor 14 discriminates the switching point between two states and calculates not only the nonlinear refractive index coefficient of the laser, but also other parameters, such as the wavelength difference between discharged signals and pump signals, etc., characteristically indicating the laser.