santec has introduced the TSL-580, its eighth-generation high-performance tunable laser, offering a wide wavelength tuning range, stable output power and a strong signal-to-noise ratio. Building on earlier generations’ sweep control, wavelength resolution, wavelength accuracy and broad fine-tuning capabilities, the product uses a redesigned laser cavity and upgraded control electronics to provide a reliable source for automated optical test systems.
The new cavity design increases available output power while improving wavelength-sweep linearity, providing a more balanced combination of power and stability for swept-wavelength measurements. The upgraded control electronics enable a narrower linewidth and precise measurement performance in optical tests requiring frequency stability and wavelength control.
The TSL-580 can be combined with santec optical power meters and polarisation controllers for insertion-loss (IL) and polarisation-dependent-loss (PDL) measurements. Applications include optical component testing, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) characterisation, spectroscopy, sensing and quantum photonics.
High output power for a broad range of tests
Through optimisation of the laser cavity, the TSL-580 delivers peak output above 15 dBm in continuous-wave (CW) operation. This supports stable measurement conditions in power-demanding applications such as testing components with high insertion loss and characterising surface grating couplers in silicon photonics.
Narrow linewidth for high-precision measurements
With its redesigned control circuit, the TSL-580 Type Q offers a typical narrow linewidth of 20 kHz when coherence control is enabled. This can substantially reduce noise in measurements over very narrow spectral intervals, providing a higher-resolution measurement foundation for quantum optics and high-precision sensing.
Improved wavelength-sweep linearity
The optimised drive system keeps typical wavelength-sweep linearity within 5%. For applications that depend on continuous wavelength sweeps, including spectroscopy and sensing, this supports a more stable sweep and more reliable data output.
As santec’s eighth-generation tunable laser, the TSL-580 combines improvements in power, linewidth, sweep linearity and wavelength control through its revised cavity and control electronics. It is intended for sustained use in laboratory development and automated production testing, supporting optical communications, silicon photonics, quantum photonics and precision sensing, as well as photonic characterisation, optical component testing, fiber transmission testing and optical spectroscopy.