Semiconductor narrow linewidth laser temperature cycle test system and test method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor narrow line width laser temperature cycle test system and a test method thereof, and belongs to the field of laser communication. The system eliminates the error introduced by system loss on optical power measurement through optical power calibration compensation coefficient. The temperature can be controlled, the wavelength of the laser is efficiently tuned, and various indexes are measured. The system mainly comprises a plurality of drivers and a high-low temperature test box. The high-low temperature test box internally accommodates a to-be-tested laser part of a plurality of measured lasers. The remaining parts of the measured lasers are located outside the high-low temperature test box, so as to avoid the influence of equipment temperature drift on measurement. The plurality of drivers are respectively connected with the plurality of measured lasers, and provide optical chip driving current and TEC closed-loop temperature control for the measured lasers. The wavelength tuning of the laser is realized through a TEC closed-loop temperature control system. Temperature sensors are arranged at the measured lasers in the high-low temperature test box. The application is mainly used for the semiconductor narrow line width laser temperature cycle test system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser communication, and more specifically, to a temperature cycling test system and method for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor narrow-linewidth lasers are widely used in optical communication, precision measurement, and quantum information processing due to their high monochromaticity and stability. However, to meet the needs of different applications, the wavelengths of these lasers must be precisely tuned, and their performance must be ensured to remain stable under various environmental conditions, especially temperature variations.

[0003] Currently, wavelength tuning temperature cycling testing of narrow-linewidth semiconductor lasers primarily relies on manual operation. Technicians need to manually adjust the ambient temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber and measure and record various laser parameters, including but not limited to output power, center wavelength, and linewidth. Furthermore, when tuning the laser wavelength for specific applications, performance must also be manually adjusted and verified step-by-step. This method is not only inefficient, but also suffers from inconsistent and inaccurate test results due to human factors.

[0004] More importantly, existing testing methods lack systematic and standardized procedures, fail to fully consider the complexity of the impact of temperature changes on laser performance, and do not establish effective compensation mechanisms to correct for changes in optical power caused by temperature fluctuations. The lack of optical power calibration compensation coefficients for measurement makes test results from different batches or different devices incomparable, limiting the scope for product performance optimization and technological advancement. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a temperature cycling test system and method for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers. This system eliminates the error introduced by system loss in optical power measurement by using an optical power calibration compensation coefficient. The temperature adjustment is controllable, and the laser wavelength is efficiently tuned and various indicators are measured.

[0006] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] A temperature cycling test system for a narrow-linewidth semiconductor laser includes several drivers and a high-low temperature test chamber. The high-low temperature test chamber houses the laser components of several lasers under test, while the remaining components of the lasers under test are located outside the chamber to avoid temperature drift affecting the measurements. The drivers are connected to the lasers under test, providing optical chip drive current and TEC closed-loop temperature control. Wavelength tuning of the lasers is achieved through the TEC closed-loop temperature control system. Temperature sensors are installed at each laser under test within the high-low temperature test chamber to collect the real-time temperature of the environment. The lasers under test are connected to optical switches via optical fibers, the optical switches are connected to optical couplers via optical fibers, and the optical couplers are connected to test equipment via optical fibers. The drivers are connected to a programmable power supply. The programmable power supply, drivers, temperature sensors, optical switches, and test equipment are all connected to a computer.

[0008] Furthermore, the optical switch is computer-controlled to perform single-channel selection in the output light of multiple lasers under test, so as to realize polling measurement of multiple lasers under test.

[0009] Furthermore, the programmable power supply has current limiting and voltage limiting functions, provides independent power to each driver, and independently monitors voltage and current. The computer will control the programmable power supply to power on or off the laser according to the test requirements, and promptly cut off the power supply in abnormal power supply states such as overcurrent and overvoltage.

[0010] Furthermore, the fiber optic coupler splits the single laser beam selected by the optical switch into multiple beams, which are simultaneously input into different measuring devices to achieve simultaneous measurement of multiple laser parameters.

[0011] Furthermore, the testing equipment includes, but is not limited to, an optical wavelength meter and an optical power meter, both of which have computer remote control and data acquisition capabilities.

[0012] Furthermore, the computer synchronizes the collected data to the cloud storage in real time and monitors and intervenes through remote commands, realizing fully automated measurement without on-site supervision.

[0013] A test method for a temperature cycling test system for a semiconductor narrow-linewidth laser includes the following steps:

[0014] S1. Connect the laser under test to the high and low temperature test chamber, calculate the power calibration compensation coefficient Pcal(n) of the laser under test, and record it.

[0015] S2. Control the programmable power supply, turn off all lasers under test, start the high and low temperature test chamber to control the temperature to the specified value, and wait 5 minutes after the temperature stabilizes;

[0016] S3. Control the programmable power supply, restart the laser under test to the tuning midpoint, poll and collect the output wavelength until it stabilizes, and record the index value Prcd(n). For the laser under test that has not reached the tuning lower limit, gradually tune it down and repeat the recording process until all the lasers under test reach the tuning lower limit.

[0017] S4. Calculate the actual output optical power Pral(n) of the laser under test, Pral(n) = Prcd(n) + Pcal(n) (n is a positive integer), and record it.

[0018] S5. Control the programmable power supply, restart the laser under test to the tuning midpoint, poll and collect the output wavelength until it stabilizes, and record the index value Prcd(n). For the laser under test that has not reached the tuning upper limit, gradually tune upwards and repeat the recording process until all the lasers under test reach the tuning upper limit.

[0019] S6. Calculate the actual output optical power Prel(n) at this time according to step S4;

[0020] S7. Control the high and low temperature test chamber and reduce the internal temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber by one step in the smallest increment; repeat steps S2-S6 until the test at the lowest test temperature is completed.

[0021] S8. Control the high and low temperature test chamber and increase the internal temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber by one step in the smallest increment; repeat steps S2-S6 until the test of the highest test temperature is completed.

[0022] S9. Control the programmable power supply to turn off all the lasers under test, and set the temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber to 20℃; after the high and low temperature test chamber has cooled down, open the chamber and take out all the lasers under test. The test is now complete.

[0023] Furthermore, step S1 specifically includes the following steps:

[0024] 1) Install the laser under test in the installation position inside the high and low temperature test chamber, and after leading out the optical fiber, do not connect it to the optical switch at first;

[0025] 2) Start the laser by powering it with the programmable power supply via the driver;

[0026] 3) Wait 2 minutes until the laser output stabilizes, then measure and record the direct output power of the laser Pout(1)~Pout(n) (n is a positive integer);

[0027] 4) Connect the lasers to the optical switches one by one;

[0028] 5) Control the optical switches to select one by one, synchronously collect the measured values ​​of the optical power meter in the system, and record the power Pget(1)~Pget(n) (n is a positive integer) measured by the power meter after each laser passes through the measurement system.

[0029] Further, step S3 specifically includes repeatedly polling and collecting the output wavelength of each laser under test. When the output wavelength of any laser under test is stable, the index value Prcd(n) of the laser under test is recorded. If the laser under test has reached the lower limit of tuning, the operation is stopped and waited. If the lower limit of tuning has not yet been reached, the laser under test is tuned down by one step unit and continues to wait for stability.

[0030] Further, step S5 specifically includes repeatedly polling and collecting the output wavelength of each laser under test. When the output wavelength of any laser under test stabilizes, the index value Prcd(n) of the laser under test is recorded. If the laser under test has reached the tuning limit, the operation is stopped and waited. If the tuning limit has not yet been reached, the laser under test is tuned down by one step unit and continues to wait for stabilization.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0032] 1. Design an optical power calibration compensation coefficient to eliminate the error introduced by system loss in optical power measurement.

[0033] 2. The temperature change process of the high and low temperature test chamber and the start-up and stabilization process of multiple lasers are synchronized and parallel, which significantly reduces the waiting time compared to manual serial testing.

[0034] 3. The tuning test process is asynchronous and parallel, with multiple lasers sharing the same tuning test time slice. Compared with manual serial testing, this significantly reduces waiting time and ensures that multiple tests are independent and do not affect each other.

[0035] 4. Multiple parameter testing devices can be used to measure simultaneously, providing comprehensive measurement indicators without waiting for each other, reducing equipment downtime and greatly improving equipment utilization.

[0036] 5. Increasing the number of lasers tested per batch and the test parameters will not increase the measurement time, significantly improving production testing capabilities and demonstrating a clear scale effect.

[0037] 6. Measurement and control are executed automatically, the process is unattended, and remote monitoring and intervention are possible, significantly saving testing manpower; automatic data processing and cloud storage facilitate integration into information management systems, expand more functions, and further improve automation efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the semiconductor narrow linewidth laser temperature cycling test system of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present invention will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown in Example 1, a temperature cycling test system for a narrow-linewidth semiconductor laser includes several drivers and a high-low temperature test chamber. The high-low temperature test chamber houses the laser components of several lasers under test. Increasing the number of lasers tested per batch and the test parameters does not increase the measurement time, significantly improving production testing capabilities and demonstrating a clear scale effect. The remaining components of the lasers under test are located outside the high-low temperature test chamber to avoid the influence of equipment temperature drift on the measurement. Several drivers are respectively connected to several lasers under test, providing optical chip driving current and TEC closed-loop temperature control for the lasers under test. Wavelength tuning of the lasers is achieved through the TEC closed-loop temperature control system. Temperature sensors are installed at each laser under test within the high-low temperature test chamber to collect the real-time temperature of the environment in which the lasers under test are located. Several lasers under test are connected to optical switches via optical fibers. The optical switches are connected to optical couplers via optical fibers. The optical couplers are connected to test equipment via optical fibers. Several drivers are connected to a programmable power supply. The programmable power supply, drivers, temperature sensors, optical switches, and test equipment are all connected to a computer. The temperature change process of the high and low temperature test chamber and the start-up and stabilization process of multiple lasers are synchronized and parallel, which significantly reduces the waiting time compared to manual serial testing.

[0041] Example 2: A temperature cycling test system for a narrow-linewidth semiconductor laser. The optical switch is computer-controlled, allowing for single-channel selection from multiple laser output beams to achieve polling measurements of these lasers. The programmable power supply features current and voltage limiting functions, independently powering each driver and monitoring voltage and current. The computer controls the power supply to power on or off the laser according to test requirements, promptly cutting off power in case of overcurrent, overvoltage, or other abnormal power supply conditions. The fiber optic coupler splits the single laser beam selected by the optical switch into multiple beams, synchronously inputting them into different measurement devices to achieve simultaneous measurement of multiple laser parameters. The testing devices include, but are not limited to, optical wavelength meters and optical power meters, all equipped with remote computer control and data acquisition functions. Multiple parameter testing devices can measure simultaneously, providing comprehensive measurement indicators without waiting for each other, reducing equipment downtime and greatly improving equipment utilization. The computer synchronizes the acquired data to a cloud storage in real time and monitors and intervenes via remote commands, achieving fully automated, unattended measurement on-site. Other aspects are the same as in Example 1.

[0042] The laser under test is a semiconductor narrow linewidth laser.

[0043] Example 3: A test method for a semiconductor narrow-linewidth laser temperature cycling test system, using the semiconductor narrow-linewidth laser temperature cycling test system described in any one of Examples 1-2, includes the following steps:

[0044] S1. Connect the laser under test to the high and low temperature test chamber, calculate the power calibration compensation coefficient Pcal(n) of the laser under test, and record it.

[0045] S2. Control the programmable power supply, turn off all lasers under test, start the high and low temperature test chamber to control the temperature to the specified value, and wait 5 minutes after the temperature stabilizes;

[0046] S3. Control the programmable power supply, restart the laser under test to the tuning midpoint, poll and collect the output wavelength until it stabilizes, and record the index value Prcd(n). For the laser under test that has not reached the tuning lower limit, gradually tune it down and repeat the recording process until all the lasers under test reach the tuning lower limit.

[0047] S4. Calculate the actual output optical power Pral(n) of the laser under test, Pral(n) = Prcd(n) + Pcal(n) (n is a positive integer), and record it.

[0048] S5. Control the programmable power supply, restart the laser under test to the tuning midpoint, poll and collect the output wavelength until it stabilizes, and record the index value Prcd(n). For the laser under test that has not reached the tuning upper limit, gradually tune upwards and repeat the recording process until all the lasers under test reach the tuning upper limit.

[0049] S6. Calculate the actual output optical power Prel(n) at this time according to step S4;

[0050] S7. Control the high and low temperature test chamber and reduce the internal temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber by one step in the smallest increment; repeat steps S2-S6 until the test at the lowest test temperature is completed.

[0051] S8. Control the high and low temperature test chamber and increase the internal temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber by one step in the smallest increment; repeat steps S2-S6 until the test of the highest test temperature is completed.

[0052] S9. Control the programmable power supply to turn off all lasers under test and lower the temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber to 20℃. After the high and low temperature test chamber has cooled down, open the chamber and take out all lasers under test. The test is over. The tuning test process is asynchronous and parallel. The tuning test time slices of multiple lasers are shared. Compared with manual serial testing, the waiting time is significantly reduced, and the multiple tests are ensured to be independent of each other and do not affect each other.

[0053] S10: Record data, generate graphs, and upload to the cloud;

[0054] Step S1 specifically includes the following steps:

[0055] 1) Install the laser under test in the installation position inside the high and low temperature test chamber, and after leading out the optical fiber, do not connect it to the optical switch at first;

[0056] 2) Start the laser by powering it with the programmable power supply via the driver;

[0057] 3) Wait 2 minutes until the laser output stabilizes, then measure and record the direct output power of the laser Pout(1)~Pout(n) (n is a positive integer);

[0058] 4) Connect the lasers to the optical switches one by one;

[0059] 5) Control the optical switches to select one by one, and synchronously collect the measured values ​​of the optical power meter in the system. Record the power Pget(1)~Pget(n) (n is a positive integer) measured by the power meter after each laser passes through the measurement system.

[0060] Step S3 specifically includes repeatedly polling and collecting the output wavelength of each laser under test. When the output wavelength of any laser under test is stable, the index value Prcd(n) of the laser under test is recorded. If the laser under test has reached the lower limit of tuning, the operation is stopped and waited. If the lower limit of tuning has not yet been reached, the laser under test is tuned down by one step unit and continues to wait for stability.

[0061] Step S5 specifically includes repeatedly polling and collecting the output wavelength of each laser under test. When the output wavelength of any laser under test is stable, the index value Prcd(n) of the laser under test is recorded. If the laser under test has reached the tuning limit, the operation is stopped and waited. If the tuning limit has not yet been reached, the laser under test is tuned down by one step unit and continues to wait for stability.

Claims

1. A test method for a temperature cycling test system for a semiconductor narrow linewidth laser, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. Connect the laser under test to the high and low temperature test chamber, calculate the power calibration compensation coefficient Pcal(n) of the laser under test, and record it. S2. Control the programmable power supply, turn off all lasers under test, start the high and low temperature test chamber to control the temperature to the specified value, and wait 5 minutes after the temperature stabilizes; S3. Control the programmable power supply, restart the laser under test to the tuning midpoint, poll and collect the output wavelength until it stabilizes, and record the index value Prcd(n). For the laser under test that has not reached the tuning lower limit, gradually tune it down and repeat the recording process until all the lasers under test reach the tuning lower limit. S4. Calculate the actual output optical power Pral(n) of the laser under test, Pral(n) = Prcd(n) + Pcal(n), where n is a positive integer, and record it. S5. Control the programmable power supply, restart the laser under test to the tuning midpoint, poll and collect the output wavelength until it stabilizes, and record the index value Prcd(n). For the laser under test that has not reached the tuning upper limit, gradually tune upwards and repeat the recording process until all the lasers under test reach the tuning upper limit. S6. Calculate the actual output optical power Prel(n) at this time according to step S4; S7. Control the high and low temperature test chamber and reduce the internal temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber by one step in the smallest increment; repeat steps S2-S6 until the test at the lowest test temperature is completed. S8. Control the high and low temperature test chamber and increase the internal temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber by one step in the smallest increment; repeat steps S2-S6 until the test of the highest test temperature is completed. S9. Control the programmable power supply to turn off all the lasers under test, and set the temperature of the high and low temperature test chamber to 20℃; after the high and low temperature test chamber has cooled down, open the chamber and take out all the lasers under test. The test is now complete.

2. The test method of the temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S1 specifically includes the following steps: 1) Install the laser under test in the installation position inside the high and low temperature test chamber, and after leading out the optical fiber, do not connect it to the optical switch at first; 2) Start the laser by powering it with the programmable power supply via the driver; 3) Wait 2 minutes until the laser output stabilizes, then measure and record the direct output power of the laser Pout(1)~Pout(n) one by one; 4) Connect the lasers to the optical switches one by one; 5) Control the optical switches to select one by one, synchronously collect the measured values ​​of the optical power meter in the system, and record the power Pget(1) ~Pget(n) measured by the power meter after each laser passes through the measurement system.

3. The test method of the temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S3 specifically includes repeatedly polling and collecting the output wavelength of each laser under test. When the output wavelength of any laser under test is stable, the index value Prcd(n) of the laser under test is recorded. If the laser under test has reached the lower limit of tuning, the operation is stopped and waited. If the lower limit of tuning has not yet been reached, the laser under test is tuned down by one step unit and continues to wait for stability.

4. The test method of the temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S5 specifically includes repeatedly polling and collecting the output wavelength of each laser under test. When the output wavelength of any laser under test is stable, the index value Prcd(n) of the laser under test is recorded. If the laser under test has reached the tuning limit, the operation is stopped and waited. If the tuning limit has not yet been reached, the laser under test is tuned upward by one step unit and continues to wait for stability.

5. A temperature cycling test system for a semiconductor narrow linewidth laser, characterized in that: The test method using the temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to any one of claims 1-4 includes several drivers and a high and low temperature test chamber. The high and low temperature test chamber houses the laser components of several lasers under test, while the remaining components of the lasers under test are located outside the chamber to avoid the influence of equipment temperature drift on the measurement. Several drivers are respectively connected to several lasers under test, providing optical chip driving current and TEC closed-loop temperature control for the lasers under test, and achieving wavelength tuning of the lasers through the TEC closed-loop temperature control system. Temperature sensors are installed at each of the lasers under test within the high and low temperature test chamber. Several lasers under test are connected to optical switches via optical fibers, the optical switches are connected to optical fiber couplers via optical fibers, and the optical fiber couplers are connected to test equipment via optical fibers. Several drivers are connected to a programmable power supply. The programmable power supply, drivers, temperature sensors, optical switches, and test equipment are all connected to a computer.

6. The temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to claim 5, characterized in that: The optical switch is computer-controlled and performs single-channel selection in the output light of multiple lasers under test to achieve polling measurement of multiple lasers under test.

7. The temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to claim 5, characterized in that: The programmable power supply has current limiting and voltage limiting functions, provides independent power to each driver, and independently monitors voltage and current. The computer will control the programmable power supply to power on or off the laser according to the test requirements, and promptly cut off the power supply when overcurrent or overvoltage occurs.

8. The temperature cycling test system for a semiconductor narrow linewidth laser according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fiber optic coupler splits the single laser beam selected by the optical switch into multiple beams, which are simultaneously input into different measuring devices, enabling simultaneous measurement of multiple laser parameters.

9. The temperature cycling test system for semiconductor narrow linewidth lasers according to claim 5, characterized in that: The testing equipment includes an optical wavelength meter and an optical power meter, both of which are equipped with remote computer control and data acquisition capabilities.

10. The temperature cycling test system for a semiconductor narrow linewidth laser according to claim 5, characterized in that: The computer synchronizes the collected data to the cloud storage in real time and monitors and intervenes through remote commands, realizing fully automated measurement without on-site supervision.

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