Control of the parameters of pulse-periodic Pb-salt double-heterostructure tunable diode lasers

Spectral and power characteristics of pulse-periodic Pb-salt double-heterostructure tunable diode lasers with a strip active area produced by molecular-beam epitaxy are considered. Methods used to control such lasers are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the preliminary selection of lasers based on the quality of radiation. The testing procedures and the criteria for the selection of the samples complying with the requirements of high-resolution spectroscopy and high-sensitivity gas analysis are proposed. The typical characteristics of the mid-IR Pb-salt (IV-VI compounds) double-heterostructure lasers are presented. The algorithms and methods of controlling the power and tuning characteristics of the tunable diode lasers are demonstrated. In particular, the regularities of the current and temperature tuning of'the tunable diode laser frequency and the methods to choose the optimum conditions for recording molecular spectra are analyzed based on the experimental data.