Performances of a Butterfly-Packaged External Cavity Laser Diode with CRIGF Mirror

International audienceWavelength-stabilized, low-linewidth lasers are commonly fabricated nowadays using external-cavity diode lasers (ECDL), often using bulk diffraction optics in the Littrow [1] or Littman [2] configurations. However, with the development of field applications, there is a strong demand for small-size, low-footprint, low-linewidth, robust laser sources. Several sources were demonstrated using VBG [3] gratings or planar integrated waveguides [4]. Here, we report on an alternative design of compact wavelength-stabilized ECDL where wavelength selection is ensured by a sub-wavelength grating reflector called a Cavity Integrated Grating Filter (CRIGF) [5]. The demonstration is in the 850 nm range for Ce clocks applications but the concept is generic CRIGF can work in many wavelength ranges