A Wavelength and Spectrum Measurement of an Extremely-Short-External-Cavity Laser Diode by Precisely Controlling Slider Flying Height

In this paper we propose a measurement method that uses a laser diode (LD) attached to a flying slider and a semi-transparent rotating disk mirror for an extremely-short-external-cavity configuration. Not only the wavelength, but also the spectrum and the light output are measured at room temperature with the external cavity length, the reflectivities of the LD facets and the external mirror, and the drive current as parameters. We have confirmed wavelength variation as great as 30 nm by changing the external-cavity length for a 1.3-$mUm wavelength laser diode with an antireflection coating on the LD facet facing the external mirror.