Agile Laser Wavelength Tuning Using Dynamic Targeting

Tunable lasers are essential and versatile tools in photonics, with applications including telecommunications, spectroscopy, and sensing. Advancements have aimed to precisely control the lasing wavelength, expand tuning ranges, suppress mode hopping, and enable photonic integration. In this work, we explore the adaptation of dynamic targeting, a technique originally developed to stabilize lasers under optical feedback, as a method for achieving agile, fast, and continuous wavelength tuning. This technique works by adjusting the feedback rate and phase, enabling a stable and controlled frequency shift. We experimentally demonstrate reliable and reproducible tuning over 2.1 GHz using a free-space optical setup. Simulations further suggest that this approach could extend the tuning range to tens of GHz, with a potential scan speed exceeding 10(2)Hz/s. These results highlight dynamic targeting as a promising route toward agile frequency control in semiconductor lasers for photonic integrated circuits.