Wavelength-Tunable Semiconductor Pump Diode for Reconfigurable Raman Amplification

We demonstrate a wavelength-tunable semiconductor pump diode for Raman amplification. The diode is stabilized by a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) that can be continuously tuned over more than 20 nm. Tuning of the diode output wavelength is achieved by varying the center wavelength of the FBG, since the diode preferentially lases within the FBG bandwidth. We investigate the effects of wavelength tuning on the diode spectrum on its corresponding Raman gain, and on pump-pump four-wave mixing in fiber having zero-dispersion wavelength coincident with the Raman pumps.