Highly integrated widely tunable single mode laser with on-chip power control

We report the development of widely tunable lasers monolithically integrated with an internal photodiode separated from the active laser segments by one-dimensional photonic crystals (PhCs). The devices cover a large total wavelength span of 42 nm in single mode emission and are tunable in wavelength steps below 1 nm whereby the output power can simultaneously be controlled via the internal photodiode. Discrete wavelength tuning is obtained by small changes of the injection current using a two-coupled Fabry-Perot resonators configuration. The devices with single mode wavelength tunability and simultaneous power control on one single chip appear to be key enablers for future lab-on-a-chip applications in tunable diode laser spectroscopy.