High-power semiconductor edge-emitting light-emitting diodes for optical low coherence reflectometry

A new semiconductor source was designed for optical low coherence reflectometry, increasing the sidelobe-free dynamic range by three to five orders of magnitude compared to conventional EELED's. Reflectivities internal to an optical fiber circuit separated by as much as eight orders of magnitude can now be detected at wavelengths of 1.3 and 1.55 /spl mu/m, using compact semiconductor sources. For applications not requiring sidelobe-free operation, the same devices can be operated at high current (200 mA) and low temperatures (near 0/spl deg/C) to produce nearly 1 mW of 1.5 /spl mu/m emission coupled into single-mode fiber. The resulting wavelength spectrum is smooth, enabling fiber-based absorption spectral measurements.< >