Abstract
We present a wavelength switching scheme with three overlapped erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) cavities. The design issue on obtaining switching among different wavelengths has not been fully discussed yet. In this study, we give a discussion on the effect of external optical injection power on the wavelength switching among three wavelengths. We also show that the side-mode-suppression ratio achievable is dependent on the light power injected into the fiber laser cavity and the wavelength of the injection light. The EDFL designed here lases at the wavelengths 1545.3, 1550.2, and 1555.2nm with achievable side-mode-suppression ratios of 27.5, 34.4, and 34.8 dB, respectively. © 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.