Full C-band tunable laser based on electroholography

A tunable laser that spans the entire C band is presented. The laser consists of an Er-doped fiber amplifier gain medium, a fiber ring resonator, and an electroholography-based tuning mechanism. The electrohologram used is in the g₄₄ configuration where the Bragg condition can be electrically tuned for a specific wavelength. Two laser architectures are presented, one in which the diffracting beam and one in which the direct beam of the electroholo-gramisused asthe laser output. Switching time between wavelengths is limited bythe gain medium relaxation time, since the electrohologram switching time is less than 1 ns.