Double heterojunction lasers and quantum well lasers

The improved technology of compound semiconductor heterojunction preparation has resulted in very reliable CW, room temperature diode lasers for optical information read-out grown on p-type substrates on the one hand and very abrupt double heterojunction diode lasers based on quantum effects on the other hand. The influence of quantization effects on the emission wavelength, the threshold current and its temperature dependence are discussed. A distinction has been made between quantization due to strong magnetic fields giving rise to a one-dimensional electron gas (quantum wire) and quantization resulting from electrostatic and/or compositional changes (quantum well). The double heterojunction as a test structure to study carrier scattering into quantum wells, the phonon participation in the hot carrier relaxation process and optical flux guiding in graded heterojunctions have been emphasized.     

Realization of high performance LDA-systems using optical amplifiers, high power semiconductor lasers and optical fiber lasers

Advanced novel techniques for sophisticated LDA applications are presented in this paper. By applying laser sources with high output powers like MOPA-lasers (master oscillator power amplifier), fiber lasers and booster fiber amplifiers to increase the laser power in the measuring volume and by amplifying the scattered light power with optical fiber preamplifiers to increase the sensitivity of the receiving units, the signal-to-noise-ratio of laser Doppler signals is drastically improved and the overall performance of a laser Doppler anemometer is significantly enhanced.     

Band structures and characteristics of InGaAs/InGaAsP strain-compensated quantum well lasers

Analysis is performed for valence band structures and some characteristics of InGaAs/InGaAsP strain-compensated quantum well lasers lattice-matched to InP substrate. The computed results show that band offsets are functions of strain compensation instead of constants; strain compensation changes the band structures and the density of states, and hence affects the optical gain and the threshold current density. Under the condition of zero net strain, the values of the well width, cavity length and relative threshold carrier density and threshold current density are determined for realization of 1.55 m wavelength emission.     

Inhomogenous broadening in quantum well lasers

The effect of structural inhomogeneities in multi-quantum-well lasers caused by composition and well width fluctuations on the line-shape and gain of the lasers is discussed based on gaussian and uniform distribution models. Quantitative results of wide applicability are deduced. The results show that the structural inhomogeneities will reduce the gain and broaden the lineshape.     

Amplification of kW peak power femtosecond pulses in single quantum well InGaAs tapered amplifiers

The amplification of ps and fs pulses with peak powers of up to 4.5 kW has been investigated in a single quantum well InGaAs tapered amplifier. The pulses with durations of 100 fs or 2 ps were generated by a modelocked titanium-sapphire laser. The amplified pulses indicate strong gain saturation and carrier generation due to photon absorption in the laser active region which causes a temporal broadening of the amplified pulses as well as modifications of the optical spectrum. The gain recovery time was measured by a pump-probe experiment. The experimental results are analyzed with respect to the sub-ps gain dynamics which is described by a relaxation time approximation.     

810-nm InGaAlAs/AlGaAs double quantum well semiconductor lasers with asymmetric waveguide structures

The 810-nm InGaAlAs/AlGaAs double quantum well （QW） semiconductor lasers with asymmetric waveguide structures, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, show high quantum efficiency and high-power conver- sion efficiency at continuous-wave （CW） power output. The threshold current density and slope efficiency of the device are 180 A/cm^2 and 1.3 W/A, respectively. The internal loss and the internal quantum efficiency are 1.7 cm^-1 and 93%, respectively. The 70% maximum power conversion efficiency is achieved with narrow far-field patterns.     

锥形太赫兹量子级联激光器输出功率与光束特性研究

针对锥形太赫兹量子级联激光器, 利用有限差分波束传播法和速率方程法, 建立了准三维的太赫兹有源器件仿真模型, 能够对具有轴向非线性波导结构的激光器进行模拟. 利用此模型, 研究了锥角大小对激光器输出光功率及光束质量的影响. 仿真结果表明, 考虑到器件之间的光耦合效率, 为了达到最大的有效输出光功率, 锥形太赫兹量子级联激光器的锥角存在一个最优值.     

Subband-level renormalization and absorptive optical bistability in semiconductor multiple quantum well structures

A microscopic theory of many-body effects in the lowest subbands of semiconductor multiple quantum well structures is presented. The renormalized subband levels are calculated for a broad temperature range and optical bistability due to induced absorption is predicted.     

Matrix method for analysis of optical waveguides and quantum well structures

The one dimensional wave equation

Enhancement of optical gain in Li:CdZnO/ZnMgO quantum well lasers

The CdZnO/ZnMgO QW structure with high Cd composition is found to have smaller optical gain because the strain-induced piezoelectric polarization and the spontaneous polarization in the well increase with the inclusion of Cd. The internal field is reduced due to the additional polarization of opposite direction by Li in the CdZnO/ZnMgO QW structure. These results show that Li:CdZnO-based QW lasers are promising candidates for optoelectric applications in visible and UV regions.     

Resonant injection quantum well diodes and lasers

Simple modifications of the standard GaAsGaAlAs double barrier tunneling diode and quantum well laser structures are considered. Calculations show that by replacing the outer GaAs layers of the diode by small aluminum concentration GaAlAs, the peak-to-valley ratio of the negative resistance can be increased. A similar structure is formed if thin high aluminum content barriers are added on one or both sides of the quantum well in a quantum well laser. The barriers then create a resonance in the well region. The alloy concentration outside of the barriers can be chosen to line up the incoming electron energy with the resonance, creating a greatly enhanced charge density in the well. Electrons are thereby captured by the well more efficiently and threshold currents may be lowered.     

Carrier transport effects in quantum well lasers

EditorialSpecial Issue

Carrier transport effects in quantum well lasers     

非对称耦合量子阱的吸收非线性增强

基于V 形三能级模型运用密度矩阵方程推导了非对称耦合量子阱三阶光学非线性极化率. 具体分析了三阶吸收非线性效率（三阶光学非线性极化率与线性吸收系数之比）随阱间电子相干振荡频率的变化规律. 理论结果表明：三阶吸收非线性效率对阱间电子相干振荡频率相当敏感，当阱间电子相干振荡频率增大时三阶吸收非线性效率显著增强，而当阱间电子相干振荡频率为零时，这种非线性效率类似于单量子阱情况. 与单量子阱相比，对于已设计好的非对称耦合量子阱结构其突出特征表现在，其非线性吸收与色散特性可经由沿材料生长方向偏压进行控制. 据此，我们预期利用这种非对称耦合量子阱结构能设计成光通信中的光限幅器和可控克尔光开关.     

Bound polaron in quantum dot quantum well structures

The problem of bound polarons in quantum dot quantum well (QDQW) structures is studied theoretically. The eigenfrequencies of bulk longitudinal optical (LO) and surface optical (SO) modes are derived in the framework of the dielectric continuum approximation. The electron--phonon interaction Hamiltonian for QDQW structures is obtained and the exchange interaction between impurity and LO-phonons is discussed. The binding energy and the trapping energy of the bound polaron in CdS/HgS QDQW structures are calculated. The numerical results reveal that there exist three branches of eigenfrequencies of surface optical vibration in the CdS/HgS QDQW structure. It is also shown that the binding energy and the trapping energy increase as the inner radius of the QDQW structure decreases, with the outer radius fixed, and the trapping energy takes a major part of the binding energy when the inner radius is very small.     

Multiple quantum well mixing and index-guided quantum well heterostructure lasers by MeV ion implantation

In recent years considerable interest has been shown in impurity-induced compositional disordering of III–V compound semiconductor devices, especially in efforts directed towards fabricating index-guided buried heterostructure lasers and other unique photonic and electronic devices. In this work we describe the study of compositional disordering induced by MeV implantation of oxygen and krypton into AlAs-GaAs superlattices and the fabrication of index-guided quantum well heterostructure lasers by MeV oxygen ion implantation.     

Quantum dots in quantum well structures

Recent progress toward fabricating and characterizing quantum dots in III–V quantum well structures is reviewed. Quantum dots made by use of lithography and etching, including deep-etched, barrier-modulated, strain-induced and interdiffused quantum dots, are described. Quantum dots fabricated by growth, including natural quantum dots, dots on patterned substrates, and self-assembled dots, are discussed. Dot sizes and uniformity, energy-level splittings, and luminescence efficiencies that are now being achieved are discussed. The status of key issues, such as the energy relaxation in quantum dots, is mentioned.     

Luminescence rings in quantum well structures

We review the results of an extensive study of the novel luminescence rings found in GaAs and InGaAs double quantum well structures. We propose that the rings define the edge of a metastable population of carriers between the laser excitation spot and the ring. This population carries wavelike excitations at supersonic speeds. Evidence for and against associating this effect with excitonic superfluidity is reviewed. The effect cannot be easily understood in terms of a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition to a superfluid state. We examine the effects of free carriers in the system and suggest a possible mechanism for the luminescence ring effect.     

1.625-μm high-power strained multiple quantum well lasers for optical time-domain reflectometers

An optical output power exceeding 210 mW has been achieved using 1.625-μm strained multiple quantum well lasers at a forward current of 800 mA under pulsed operation. We introduced tensile-strained barrier layers to increase internal quantum efficiency. High quantum efficiency is attributed to improved of hole injection efficiency and suppressed electron overflow from wells. The 1.625-μm high-power lasers are expected to be applied to optical time-domain reflectometers, which enable regular communication light to be used.