OPTICAL-GENERATION OF MILLIMETER-WAVES USING A DUAL-POLARIZATION EMISSION EXTERNAL-CAVITY DIODE-LASER

We report on the generation of millimeter-waves by heterodyne mixing o f two wavelength tunable laser modes emittted simultaneously from a si ngle diode laser operating in a two-arm external cavity. The modes are in the 1.55 mu m range, one of them vibrates in TE and the other in T M polarization. We have measured beat-frequencies from 1 to 22 GHz, wh ere the upper frequency is limited by the photodetector set-up. The mo de wavelength separation can be tuned from approximately zero to 10 nm corresponding to beat-frequencies up to 1330 GHz. The results are qua litatively supported by theoretical analysis.