Quasi-continuous tunable semiconductor laser based on the gain-lever effect with full C-band coverage fabricated by standard lithography.

A quasi-continuous tunable semiconductor laser covered full C-band is demonstrated. The quasi-continuous tuning range of the tunable semiconductor laser is significantly improved by optimizing the length of the phase section using the gain-lever effect, achieving a 36 nm range that covered the whole C-band. In the tuning range, 46 channels with 100 GHz spacing are achieved, and all channels exhibit a side mode suppression ratio above 30 dB. No regrowth or high-precision lithography is involved in the fabrication process of the tunable semiconductor laser, which has the potential to provide a cost-effective light source for dense wavelength division multiplexing systems.