Internally coupled Fabry-Perot interferometer for high precision wavelength control of tunable diode lasers

An internally coupled confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) has been developed for both high precision wavelength calibration and stabilization of tunable diode lasers (TDL). Our FPI is tunable and thermally stable and works over a large wavelength range (0.6–30 μm)—characteristics that cannot be simultaneously realized with conventional etalons. As part of a versatile wavelength control system the instrument has already considerably improved the quality of our diode laser spectra and will facilitate the use of TDLs in sub-Doppler spectroscopy and as local oscillators in heterodyne radiometers.