THORLABS PICO D User Manual
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THORLABS PICO D User Manual

THORLABS PICO D User Manual

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PICO D
USERS MANUAL

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  • Page 1 PICO D USERS MANUAL...
  • Page 2 This page is intentionally left blank  Thorlabs Sweden AB, Göteborg, Sweden. Document info: 740-OSL 103 XXX-PA1 PICO-D Maual.doc LS 2/10/2005 7:41...
  • Page 3 Protect the equipment from external chocks and excessive vibrations. To avoid hazardous chocks, do not operate the PICO D if there are any signs of damage to any part of the outer enclosure (covers, panels etc) Protect the equipment from rapid variation in temperature.
  • Page 4 ESD Precautions All types of electronic components, particularly integrated circuits, are more or less sensitive to Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). ESD is a general reason for failure of electronic equipment. The total operating time can be reduced if precautions against ESD-damage are not taken. See Figure 0-1. WARNING ! Always wear an ESD wrist strap connected to the ESD terminal whenever han- dling boards and units.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of content HOW TO HANDLE PICO D AFETY EQUIREMENTS ESD P RECAUTIONS INTRODUCTION 1.1 F EATURES AND OPTIONS 1.1.1 CRONYMS AND BBREVIATIONS 1.1.2 MPORTANT AND ARNING MESSAGES SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND INTERFACES (TLS)? HAT IS A TUNABLE LASER SOURCE RIEF SYSTEM OVERVIEW...
  • Page 6 APPENDIX B - MODE HOPS APPENDIX C - DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS APPENDIX D - CHECK LIST FOR FAILURE REPORT...

  • Page 7: Introduction

    – re- ferred to as "benchtop performance in a module". For the different options, please refer to the PICO D specification (730 - OSL 103 XXXX) and for ordering informa- tion, please refer to Appendix Fel! Hittar inte referenskälla.
  • Page 8 1.1.2 Important and Warning messages Warning is used when an accident may occur if the safety precautions or the instruc- tions are neglected. This type of accident may be fatal or cause serious injury. It may also damage the product. IMPORTANT This is an example of an IMPORTANT message WARNING !

  • Page 9: System Description And Interfaces

    (continuous or random access) over a certain, and usually quite wide, wavelength range. The PICO D can be tuned over typically 110 nm (albeit depending on the ac- tual model of PICO D) which is sufficient for covering both the C- and L- wavelength bands used in fiber optical communications systems.

  • Page 10: Basic Operation

    Due to the analog interface PICO D is easy to integrate in the user’s system configu- ration. The user supplies an analog signal to tune (sweep) the laser between the minimum and maximum wavelengths defining the tuning range.
  • Page 11 Mechanical interface The PICO D is confined to a volume of maximum: 49 mm × 93 mm × 260 mm (W × H × L) [49 mm × 93 mm × 274.1 mm if the locking mechanism belonging to the sig- nal connector is included).
  • Page 12 Figure 2–2 The PICO D case (bulk head version). All measures in millime- ters.
  • Page 13 Bulkhead Pigtail Figure 2–3 PICO D front panels. Both bulkhead (fiberoptical connector) and pigtail options are available. All measures in millimeters. Com- pare Figure 2–2. Figure 2–4 Mechanical dimensions om PICO E, side view. All measures in milliters. Compare Figure 2–2.
  • Page 14 2.4.1 Mounting of PICO D The orientation of PICO D must be vertical during operation, see Figure 2–5, the ar- row defined the vertical direction. The four solid arrows in Figure 2–5 indicates the four threaded (M3) mounting holes available on each long-side of the PICO D case. PICO D could be mounted either using the holes on the left or right side of the case.
  • Page 15 Figure 2–6 Hole pattern, on both long-sides of PICO D (the hole pattern on either side is identical) for mounting PICO E. The holes are threaded M3, all measures in millimeters. Compare Figure 2–2. 2.4.2 Environmental Conditions WARNING ! Sudden changes in temperature should be avoided as this may cause conden- sation on the optical equipment that could have a negative influence on the performance of the device.
  • Page 16 Figure 2–7. A control signal is defined as an input signal to PICO E (written to PICO D). The control signals could be either analog or digital A status signal is defined as an output signal from PICO E (read from PICO D).
  • Page 17 The electrical signals are accessible via the two connectors located on the rear side of PICO D, see Figure 2–8. The top (6 pin) connector connects the DC power supply to PICO D and the lower (40 pin) connector contains all other electrical control and...
  • Page 18 Figure 2–8 Power (top) and signal (lower) connectors are located on the rear side of PICO D. The full pin configuration of the PICO D power and signal connectors are shown in Figure 2–15. Table 2-1 This table list the signals used to control and monitor PICO D...
  • Page 19 (or malfunctioning) of PICO D. There are two connectors on the rear side of PICO D, see Figure 2–8; one connec- tor for electrical power, and one connector for the control and status signals. Both connectors have pins connected to ground.
  • Page 20 2.5.2 Power supplies Three external power supplies are required to run the PICO D unit. Table 2-2 lists the required voltages, and Table 2-3 list the requirements set on the power supplies, and finally Table 2-10 lists the pin configuration of the DC power connector. The full pin configuration of the PICO D power and signal connectors are shown in Figure 2–...
  • Page 21 2.5.3.2 Digital control signals The digital logic control signals are used to enable (or disable) certain PICO D fea- tures. The control signals could be either TRUE or FALSE. Carefully read paragraph 2.5.3.1 (Definition of the logical states) before connecting PICO D. The digital input...
  • Page 22 The table below lists the available control signals. The logical states are defined in paragraph 2.5.3.1. Carefully read paragraph 2.5.3.1 (Definition of the logical states) before connecting PICO D. The full pin configuration of the PICO D power and signal connectors are shown in Figure 2–15.
  • Page 23 When digital control signal _OPTICAL_POWER_ENABLE is set to HIGH (5 V) the laser diode, inside the PICO D unit, is turned off irrespective of analog optical power input voltage. The _OPTICAL_POWER_ENABLE signal is well suited for implementation of a safety circuitry that switches off the laser in critical situations.
  • Page 24 2.5.3.3.1 Digital status: _SYSTEM_ERROR When digital status signal _SYSTEM_ERROR is TRUE - LOW (0 V) the PICO D unit has an internal error, e.g. overheating, and should not be used. In case of an error, the laser is forced to an off state irrespective of the logical status of _OPTICAL_POWER_ENABLE (as for all other control signals).
  • Page 25 Analog control signals The interface allows settings of wavelength, optical power and the internal (cavity) temperature through analog signals. The PICO D unit will follow the applied analog control signals within the specifications. To reach the specified accuracy, one must correct for small non-linear deviations be- tween the control signals and their corresponding (wavelength and optical output power) counterparts.
  • Page 26 Table 2-7 Setting the WAVELENGTH_TUNING voltage To achieve Settings Shortest wavelength corresponds to –10V -WAVELENGTH_TUNING set to 0 V and +WAVELENGTH_TUNING set to -10V Longest wavelength corresponds to +10V -WAVELENGTH_TUNING set to 0 V and +WAVELENGTH_TUNING set to +10V Figure 2–13 Schematic picture illustrating the relation between the wave- λ...
  • Page 27 At maximum optical power the laser will be in current limit and actual power will vary considerably with wavelength. The PICO D unit is set, at factory, to delivery 1 mW optical power when the analog control signal +OPTICAL POWER is set to 1V. Typical operating would be at 1V giv- ing a guaranteed output of 1 mW over the whole wavelength range.
  • Page 28 2.5.5 Electrical power and signal connectors There are two connectors located on the rear side of PICO D, see Figure 2–8. The top connector (6 pin) is the power connector whereas the 40 pin connector carries all digital and analog signals. Figure 2–15 show the pin configuration of the two connectors.
  • Page 29 Electrical power connector - pin configuration. Note the increased cable area recommended to the +5 V and 0 (+5V). The full pin con- figuration of the PICO D power and signal connectors are shown in Figure 2–15 Recommended cable area...
  • Page 30 Pin number Signal name Description - OPTICAL_POWER Analog +WAVELENGTH_TUNING Analog - WAVELENGTH_TUNING Analog Spare DO NOT CONNECT Spare DO NOT CONNECT Service 0 DO NOT CONNECT Service 0 DO NOT CONNECT Service 1, internal use only Service Service 2, internal use only Service Service 3, internal use only Service...
  • Page 31 2.5.5.2 Signal connector The connector for the signal lines on PICO D is a dual row 40 pin male connector, Honda RPS-40RLMG1. Mating connector is a dual row connector for IDC ribbon cable, Honda RPS- D40RFBG1 The ribbon cable is a 40 ways, pitch 0.025” (= 0.635mm). Until this is decided Radi- ans will use 30AWG (=0.057mm...

  • Page 32: Operation

    5) Enable control of PICO D by setting the following digital control signals to ENABLE to LOW (0 V) the following digital control signals: WAVE- LENGTH_TUNING_ENABLE, OPTICAL_POWER_ENABLE. 6) The PICO D unit can now be tuned by applying a voltage between +10 and –10 V to the +WAVELENGTH_TUNING and the –WAVELENGTH_TUNING...
  • Page 33 Calibration of PICO D PICO D does neither have internal wavelength references nor optical power refer- ence. Hence, the PICO D must be calibrated using external instrumentation such as wavemeter and optical power meter. The optical length of the cavity depends on the refractive index of the laser diode, which in turn depends on the current injected into the laser chip.
  • Page 34 Figure 3–1 Typical wavelength deviation from a linear relation between input voltage and output wavelength. [Input voltage (horizontal axis in unit V) and optical output wavelength (vertical axis in unit nm)]. The three curves are measured at different optical powers. 3.3.1 Calibration methods There are several methods that can be used for calibrating the PICO.

  • Page 35: Calibration Of

    Set OPTICAL_POWER to 1 V Repeat the following step five times 1. Set WAVELENGTH_TUNING to –9.5 V 2. Wait 1 s 3. Set WAVELENGTH_TUNING to 9.5 V 4. Wait 1 s Set WAVELENGTH_TUNING to 0 V The laser start-up procedure is finished. 3.3.1.2 Calibration For every optical power level repeat the steps below.

  • Page 36: Maintenance & Service

    Transportation of PICO D shall always be in the original packaging, which is special designed for PICO D . The PICO D unit shall always be stored in vertical position, see Figure 2–5. Detailed description on how to un-package/package and transport...

  • Page 37: Troubleshooting & Faq

    5 Troubleshooting & FAQ This chapter helps service personnel to troubleshoot PICO D. The chapter contains step-by-step troubleshooting and information on where to get support. Troubleshooting, Step-By-Step No output power is detected 1) Check that the digital status signal _POWER_ENABLE is TRUE. (Paragraph 2.5.3.1 defines the logical states)

  • Page 38: Support

    6 Support If there is any trouble with the PICO D that cannot be solved, please contact our support at: Address: Support Thorlabs Sweden AB Box 141 94 S - 400 20 Göteborg Sweden Telephone: +46 31 733 30 00...
  • Page 39 PICO D is a continuous tunable external cavity laser. The unit is self-sustained with respect to laser power, wavelength and temperature control electronics. However, an external DC power supply is required to operate the laser. The PICO D is con- trolled through its interface, having both analog (control) and digital (control and status) signals, and requires external driver electronics for selecting output wave- length and laser power.
  • Page 40 Parameter Typical Comment Power Set Bandwidth (kHz) Spectral line width (FWHM) (kHz) Side Mode Suppression Cavity mode, measured Ratio (SMSR) (dBc) by heterodyne method Signal to Source Spontaneous Emision ratio (SSE) (dB/nm) Signal to Total Source Spontaneous Emission Ratio (STSSER) (dB) Optical isolation (dB @ 1560 nm) RIN (dB/Hz)
  • Page 41 Figure 6-1 (below) shows the mode hop free areas for the PICO D laser. Note that the wavelength range for areas b and c are 50 nm as a target specification. Note also that area b and c are totally independent of each other concerning the wave- length limits.
  • Page 42 1 nm. Mode Hop Enable The digital control signal, mode_hop_enabla enables the use of of the Mode Hop Adjust signal. When this signal is FALSE PICO D runs with factory settings on the Mode Hop Adjust. Mode Hop Adjust The analog control signal MODE_HOP_ADJUST is used for fine-tuning the laser wavelength using Piezo element.
  • Page 43 APPENDIX C - Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations Automatic Power Control External Cavity Laser Electrostatic Discharge Ground Modular Laser Head Not Connected To Be Defined Tunable Laser Source...
  • Page 44 Check list Status signals Temp overload Laser current limit System overload Output power at 1V power signal _______ dBm Maximum output power _______ dBm E-mail or fax this list to Thorlabs Sweden AB E-mail: scandinavia@thorlabs.com Fax: +46 31 703 40 45...

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