Current and frequency modulation characteristics for continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers at 9.06 μm

We report the characteristics of current induced frequency modulation (FM) for two continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) at 9.06 μm. Both the frequency tuning rate and the phase shift between intensity modulation and FM are measured at different modulation frequencies from 10 Hz to 200 kHz. The frequency tuning rate of the QCLs depends on both the modulation frequency and amplitude. The tested QCL has been used to detect ambient water vapor with wavelength modulation spectroscopy for validation with a numerical model.     

Numerical study of strained InGaAs quantum well lasers emitting at 2.33 μm using the eight-band model

We investigate the band structure of a compressively strained In(Ga)As/In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As quantum well (QW) on an InP substrate using the eight-band k · p theory.Aiming at the emission wavelength around 2.33 μm,we discuss the influences of temperature,strain and well width on the band structure and on the emission wavelength of the QW.The wavelength increases with the increase of temperature,strain and well width.Furthermore,we design an InAs /In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As QW with a well width of 4.1 nm emitting at 2.33 μm by optimizing the strain and the well width.     

InP-based InGaAs/InAlGaAs digital alloy quantum well laser structure at 2 μm

The structural and optical characteristics of InP-based compressively strained InGaAs quantum wells have been significantly improved by using gas source molecular beam epitaxy grown InAs/In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As digital alloy triangular well layers and tensile In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As/InAlGaAs digital alloy barrier layers.The x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope characterisations indicate that the digital alloy structures present favourable lattice quality.Photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) measurements show that the use of digital alloy barriers offers better optical characteristics than that of conventional random alloy barriers.A significantly improved PL signal of around 2.1 μm at 300 K and an EL signal of around 1.95 μm at 100 K have been obtained.     

Tensile-strained 1.3 μm InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well structure of high temperature characteristics

A new tensile strained InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well structure in the 1.3 μm wavelength region is proposed for high temperature characteristics via quantum well band structure and optical gain calculations. To obtain such features, a tensile-strained InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well structure, which emits light dominated by TM polarization, is considered. This proposed structure has very high temperature characteristics (T ₀ > 130 K) due to its high density of state at the first transition edge. This results clearly show the potential of tensile strained quantum well structure usage for the high temperature operation of quantum well semiconductor lasers.     

Linewidth enhancement factor of InAs/InP quantum dot lasers around 1.5 μm

Linewidth enhancement factor (LEF) of InAs/InP quantum dot (QD) multi-wavelength lasers (MWLs) emitting around 1.5 μm is investigated both above and below the threshold. Above the threshold, LEFs at three different wavelengths around the gain peak of 1.53 μm by the injection locking technique are obtained to be 1.63, 1.37 and 1.59. Then by Hakki–Paoli method LEF is found to decrease with increased current and shows a value of less than 1 below the threshold. These small LEF values have clearly indicated that our developed InAs/InP QDs are perfect and promising gain materials for QD MWLs, QD mode-locked lasers (QD MLLs) and QD distributed-feedback (QD DFB) lasers around 1.5 μm.     

InP-based InGaAs/InA1GaAs digital alloy quantum well laser structure at 2μm

The structural and optical characteristics of InP-based compressively strained InGaAs quantum wells have been significantly improved by using gas source molecular beam epitaxy grown InAs/Ino.53Ga0.47As digital alloy triangular well layers and tensile Ino.53Ga0.47As/InAiGaAs digital alloy barrier layers. The x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope characterisations indicate that the digital alloy structures present favourable lattice quality. Photo- luminescence （PL） and electroluminescence （EL） measurements show that the use of digital alloy barriers offers better optical characteristics than that of conventional random alloy barriers. A significantly improved PL signal of around 2.1μm at 300 K and an EL signal of around 1.95μm at 100 K have been obtained.     

Design of polarization independent InGaAs/InGaAlAs coupled quantum well structure in 1.55 μm wavelength region

A novel polarization independent InGaAs/InGaAlAs quantum well (QW) structure in the 1.55 m wavelength region is proposed. A coupled QW structure with tensile strain in the QW and/or barrier region is considered for the reduction of the optical gain difference between TE and TM modes in the wide spectral range. A triple-coupled QW structure with alternative strain (tensile/compressive/tensile) is found to be the most effective in reducing the polarization gain difference. This is because the transition strength difference of each polarization is reduced by energy states coupling. The optimized triple-coupled QW structure shows polarization independence for wide carrier density and wavelength range, which is suitable for polarization independent operation of QW based semiconductor devices, such as semiconductor optical amplifiers.     

Metamorphic growth of 1.55 μm InGaAs/InGaAsP multiple quantum wells laser structures on GaAs substrates

We fabricate a Ga As-based In Ga As/In Ga As P multiple quantum wells(MQWs) laser at 1.55 μm. Using two-step growth method and thermal cyclic annealing, a thin low-temperature In P layer and a thick In P buffer layer are grown on Ga As substrates by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition technology. Then, highquality MQWs laser structures are grown on the In P buffer layer. Under quasi-continuous wave(QCW) condition, a threshold current of 476 m A and slope efficiency of 0.15 m W/m A are achieved for a broad area device with 50 μm wide strip and 500 μm long cavity at room-temperature. The peak wavelength of emission spectrum is1549.5 nm at 700 m A. The device is operating for more than 2000 h at room-temperature and 600 mA.     

Low divergence angle and low jitter 40 GHz AlGaInAs/InP 1.55 μm mode-locked lasers

We demonstrate a novel (to the best of our knowledge) 40?GHz passively mode-locked AlGaInAs/InP 1.55?μm laser with a low divergence angle (12.7°×26.3°), timing jitter of 1.2?ps (10?kHz-100?MHz), and a radio frequency linewidth of 25?kHz.     

Molecular beam epitaxial growth of high quality InAs/GaAs quantum dots for 1.3-μm quantum dot lasers

Systematic investigation of InAs quantum dot(QD) growth using molecular beam epitaxy has been carried out, focusing mainly on the InAs growth rate and its effects on the quality of the InAs/GaAs quantum dots.By optimizing the growth rate, high quality InAs/GaAs quantum dots have been achieved.The areal quantum dot density is 5.9× 10~(10) cm~(-2), almost double the conventional density(3.0 × 1010 cm~(-2)).Meanwhile, the linewidth is reduced to 29 meV at room temperature without changing the areal dot density.These improved QDs are of great significance for fabricating high performance quantum dot lasers on various substrates.     

All-optical modulation at 1.3 μm wavelength in the inGaAsP/InP system

All-optical, normal-to-surface modulation in InGaAsP epitaxial layers, lattice matched to InP, is investigated. Close to the gap wavelength of 1.3 m a transmission increase under optical excitation is observed. A modulation depth of 34% is achieved for 0.8 mW pump power at 790 nm wavelength. The modulation frequency is limited by excess carrier lifetime. A 3 dB frequency of 80 MHz is achieved with a 10 dB decrease at 400 MHz. A lateral electric field enlarges the bandwidth but decreases the modulation depth. For weak excitation the experiments are well described in terms of direct electronic transitions between parabolic bands or in terms of simple band filling. The devices are well suited for parallel optical data processing.     

25 Gb/s directly modulated ground-state operation of 1.3 μm InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers up to 75℃

We report 25 Gb/s high-speed directly modulated ground-state operation of 1.3 μm In As/Ga As quantum dot(QD) lasers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The active region of the lasers consists of eight layers of p-doped In As QDs with high uniformity and density. Ridge-waveguide lasers with a 3-μm-wide and 300-μm-long cavity show a low threshold current of 14.4 m A at 20°C and high temperature stability with a high characteristic temperature of 1208 K between 20°C and 70°C. Dynamic response measurements demonstrate that the laser has a 3 d B bandwidth of 7.7 GHz at 20°C and clearly opened eye diagrams even at high temperatures up to 75°C under a 25 Gb/s direct modulation rate.     

Fabrication and modulation characteristics of InGaAsP/InGaAsP MQW DCPBH lasers at λ ∼ 1.57 μm

InGaAsP/InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well (MQW) double-channel planar-buried heterostructure (DCPBH) lasers emitting at λ∼ 1.57 μm were fabricated by optimizing the epitaxial growth with material characterization. At 25 °C (85 °C), a 1.8-μm-wide and 300-μm-long antireflectivity/high reflectivity coated laser exhibits a threshold current of 8 mA (23 mA) and a slope efficiency of 0.34 mW/mA (0.24 mW/mA) in continuous-wave mode (cw) as a result of the optimized thickness of the p-InP filling layer in the PBH structure with p-n-p-n current blocking layers. The maximum cw output power was approximately 20 mW at 25 °C, which was reduced to 17 mW at 85 °C. The peak wavelength varied from 1572 nm at 25 °C to 1602 nm at 100 °C for a fixed output power of 5 mW, indicating a temperature coefficient of ∼ 0.4 nm/K. The resonance frequency in the small-signal modulation response of devices depends on the etching depth of the U-shaped double channel; it increases from 0.4 GHz without channel etching to 4.3 GHz with 7-μm-thick etching. The full-width at half maximum values in the horizontal and vertical far-field patterns were approximately 24.5° (25.2°) and 29.4° (30.1°), respectively, at 25 °C (85 °C). PACS 42.55.Px; 73.61.Ey; 81.05.Ea     

Electro-optic low-voltage InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well modulator with organic–inorganic distributed Bragg reflector

We have realized a reflection-type electro-optic InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) modulator using an organic–inorganic distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The MQW active layer is embedded in the intrinsic region of a p-i-n diode. The DBR consists of few pairs of CF_x/TiO_xlayers, fabricated by room-temperature ion beam sputtering on the rear side of the device. The reflectivity of the mirror approaches 98% in the infrared spectral region and is centered at then = 1 exciton resonance of the MQW. ON–OFF driving reverse voltages of 0.5 and 1.8 V are measured at room temperature. In this range the static response of the device is linear so that it can be used for analog electro-optic modulation.     

High efficiency cw far infrared lasers at 119 μm and 127 μm

The optically pumped FIR laser lines at 119 m from CH₃OH and at 127 m from¹³CD₃OH are known to be the most powerful in the far infrared spectral region. We report on efficiency measurements for our waveguide laser system. The effect of various parameters was investigated, resulting in the highest efficiency ever reported for the 119 m line. The Stark effect and others parameters of the 127 m were measured, and a new¹³CD₃OH laser line at 175 m discovered, with the same pump transition. These measurements are helpful for completing the assignment already proposed for the 127 m line.     

Relaxation oscillations and damping factors of 1.3 μm In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum-dot lasers

In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) lasers with emission wavelength at 1295 nm at room temperature are fabricated. The laser active region contains a threefold stack of QD layers with surface dot density of 4.56 × 10¹⁰ cm^–2. The laser structure is aluminum-free with InGaP as cladding layers. Threshold current density of a narrow stripe laser of 8 m wide and 3.5 mm long is 152.5 A/cm². The highest relaxation oscillation frequency measured at room temperature is 1.8 GHz, corresponding to a modulation bandwidth of 2.8 GHz due to the small damping factor. From the above measurement, the differential gain and gain compression factor were extracted to be 4.3 × 10^–16 cm² and 3.4 × 10 ^–17 cm ³, respectively. Using these parameters, the maximum modulation bandwidth f _{3 dB max} is estimated as 7.9 GHz.     

1.55-μm InGaAs/InGaAlAs MQW vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with InGaAlAs/InP distributed Bragg reflectors

High-performance InGaAs/InGaAlAs multiple-quantum-well vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with InGaAlAs/InP distributed Bragg reflectors are proposed for operation at the wavelength of . The lasers have good heat diffusion characteristic, large index contrast in DBRs, and weak temperature sensitivity. They could be fabricated either by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth. The laser light-current characteristics indicate that a suitable reflectivity of the DBR on the light output side in a laser makes its output power increase greatly and its lasing threshold current reduce significantly, and that a small VCSEL could output the power around its maximum for the output mirror at the reflectivity varying in a broader range than a large VCSEL does.     

Missing modes in 1.3 μm InGaAsP/InP uncooled Fabry–Perot lasers and their effect on transmission performance

We report mode missing and modal instability of uncooled Fabry–Perot (FP) lasers for the temperature range from –45 to 85C and their effect on transmission performance. Using the time domain laser model (TDLM), mode missing has been modeled in FP lasers with structural defects in the active layer. Using this model, we have estimated eye opening penalty (EOP) due to missing modes up to 2.5 Gbps data rate. These simulation results suggest that FP lasers should have less than two missing modes for stable operation and high performance for optical data links.     

Thermal effects in quantum cascade lasers at λ～4.6 μm under pulsed and continuous-wave modes

The thermal effects in InGaAs/InAlAs quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting at λ∼4.6 μm under pulsed and continuous-wave (CW) modes using a three-dimensional (3D) heat dissipation model were investigated. Based on the experimentally measured results, the thermal characteristics were theoretically analyzed for various device and heatsinking structures. Also, the heat accumulation effects and dissipation processes were studied in detail under pulsed operation. High cooling efficiencies were achieved by a relatively fast heat diffusion rate from the active core region for the epilayer-down bonded single ridge waveguide buried heterostructure (BH) with a thick electroplated Au around the laser ridge. A further improvement was made by the use of InP embedding layer. In CW mode, the thermal conductance (G _th) value of 445 W/(K cm²) at 298 K was obtained for the epilayer-down bonded double-channel ridge waveguide QCL with AlN submount, which indicates a reasonable consistency with the available experimental data. By optimizing the device and heatsinking structures, the G _th was improved to a high value of 673 W/(K cm²) at 298 K for the epilayer-down bonded single ridge waveguide BH QCL with InP embedding layer on diamond submount in CW mode.