DYNAMICS OF FREQUENCY SWITCHING IN TUNABLE ASYMMETRIC Y-BRANCH LASERS

We describe measurements of the frequency switching dynamics of discre tely tunable asymmetric Y-branch (AYB) lasers with a single current tu ning control. We observe that the switching time depends on the freque ncy separation of the two switched modes, with faster switching for mo des which are further apart. The switch-off time of a mode is faster, as short as 4 ns, while the switch-on time is slower, of the order of 10 nm. We believe that this switching behavior can be explained by the spectral transients of the laser during switching. Such AYB lasers ca n be used in the transmitters of packet-switched wavelength-multiplexe d communication networks.