Amplified output of a frequency chirped diode source via injection locking

Injection locking is a useful technique for amplifying the output power of a tunable external cavity diode laser. The injection-locked output retains the spectral properties of the injected signal while offering high powers. A self-aligning injection-locked system is demonstrated that uses a chirped external cavity diode laser as the master laser. A gain of 51.8 dB is demo nstrated with injection-locked output powers greater than 62 mW. The amplif ied linear frequency chirp of 800 MHz in 4 mus is measured and shows no dev iation from the frequency chirp of the master laser. The high gain and abil ity of the injection-locked output to follow the rapid tuning of the inject ed source make it an excellent amplification technique for applications req uiring higher powers with fast tuning. (C) 2001 Society of Photo-Optical In strumentation Engineers.