A SIMPLE EXTENDED-CAVITY DIODE-LASER

Operating a laser diode in an extended cavity which provides frequency -selective feedback is a very effective method of reducing the laser's linewidth and improving its tunability. We have developed an extremel y simple laser of this type, built from inexpensive commercial compone nts with only a few minor modifications, A 780 nm laser built to this design has an output power of 80 mW, a Linewidth of 350 kHz, and it ha s been continuously locked to a Doppler-free rubidium transition for s everal days. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(98)01 303-3].