Simultaneous wavelength-stabilization of 980-nm pump lasers

Abstract
High power 980-nm strained QW semiconductor lasers connected to the input ports of a 4/spl times/4-fused fiber star coupler are simultaneously wavelength-locked through reflection from a single narrow-band fiber grating connected to one output port. This configuration enables simple pump wavelength control, inhibits deleterious pump-laser interactions, and improves amplifier reliability through pump redundancy.