Broad-bandwidth shot-noise-limited class-A operation of a monomode semiconductor fiber-based ring laser

We demonstrate the operation of a monomode semiconductor laser with a relative intensity noise limited by the shot-noise floor, -156 dB/Hz for a typical detected photocurrent of 1 mA, over a large frequency range from 50 MHz to 18 GHz. We achieve direct control of photon lifetime to turn an initially class-B laser into a relaxation-oscillation-free class-A one while preserving strict single-mode operation. Finally, we confirm experimentally that the laser operation in the desired class-A regime allows a dramatic filtering out of the relative intensity noise. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.