First room temperature lasing from the fundamental state of V-grooved quantum wire lasers

Lasing from the ground state electron and heavy-hole-like transition of quantum wire (QWR) is demonstrated for the first time at room temperature, with an oxide-isolated V-grooved GaAs/AlGaAs triple QWR laser grown by flow-rate modulation epitaxy (FME). The lasing peaks at all temperatures (4–300 K) are in reasonably good agreement with both the photon energies of the peaks of the photoluminescence curves and the numerical calculation of the electronic sub-band energy states of the corresponding QWR structure. These results are considered to be responsible for the reduced heterointerface inhomogeneities (the Stokes shift 0.3 meV) of the FME grown QWR, giving a low-loss wave guide in the QWR laser.     

Self-induced high-speed modulation in microchip solid-state lasers with asymmetric end pumping

We applied laser-diode sheetlike end pumping to a multimode Nd:YVO(4) laser and observed high-speed (>400-MHz) modulation of the intensity of chaotic pulsation near 1 MHz. The frequencies of modulation were the beat frequencies for pairs of closely spaced lasing modes. Asymmetric optical confinement and the resultant modal interference are shown to lead to oval-hollow-mode operation in which modal beat notes induce high-speed modulation, the frequency range of which is 2 orders of magnitude higher than the intrinsic relaxation oscillation frequency. Good numerical reproduction of the observed chaotic pulsations and their high-speed modulation was obtained with model equations in which such effects as nonlinear gain coupling among modes and field interference between pairs of modes were included. High-speed pulsations in nonchaotic lasers were also demonstrated.     

Resonantly photo-pumped Fe16+ soft X-ray laser

A resonantly photo-pumped soft x-ray laser process is studied for neon-like iron ions with an automatic line match scheme. The special advantages of this scheme are shown. The temporal characteristics of lasing gains and their dependences on the pump strength and electron density are investigated. Unlike the electron-collisional excitation and some other photo-pumped excitation schemes, it is demonstrated that main photopumped gains come from 2p-4d-3p-3s transition channels. Using the experimental data of pump strengths from a non-LTE plasma produced in our experiment as input data, our model yields a peak gain of 5.6 cm^–1, 2.8 cm^–1 and 1.9 cm^–1 on the dominant lasing transitions at 38.74 nm, 25.47 nm and 20.46 nm.     

Mode beating in spot-size converter lasers

An anomalous modulation in the wavelength spectrum has been observed in lasers with spot-size converters. This intensity modulation is shown to be caused by beating between the fundamental lasing mode and radiation modes in the taper. This results in a periodic modulation in the net gain spectrum, which causes wavelength jumps between adjacent net gain maxima, and a drive current dependent spectral width that is expected to affect system performance. The amplitude of this spectral modulation is reduced significantly by either using an angled rear-facet which reflects the beating radiation modes away from the laser axis, or by using a nonlinear, adiabatic taper.     

Experimental study of a semiconductor laser diode having a Mach–Zehnder interferometer in the cavity

The performance of a semiconductor laser diode that has an asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer all-optical switch in the cavity has been studied experimentally. This novel device was designed to be free from clock pulse insertion, since mode-locked optical pulses are generated internally and change the balance of the interferometer periodically. The device was fabricated using a InGaAsP/InP buried heterostructure and the primary optical properties of the device were investigated. Lasing characteristics that were peculiar to the twin-cavity structure were observed, i.e., continuous-wave lasing power oscillation in relation to the injection current balance between the two arms, and cyclic changes in the single/multiple emission peaks as a function of bias voltage at the saturable absorber. Electrical spectrum analysis indicated 40 GHz modulation of lasing output from the twin-cavity laser.     

Frequency tuning peculiarities of enhanced power monomode He−Ne lasers

Experimental results are presented concerning some peculiarities of frequency tuning of single-longitudinal-mode He–Ne lasers at 632.8 nm which single-mode selection is performed by increasing the homogeneous broadening of laser transition. These include the observation of an asymmetry of tuning regions with respect to the output power maximum; a jump of lasing frequency during which output power drops; and a strong dependence of frequency tuning on gas pressure and output power. In the case of a mixture of ²⁰Ne and ²²Ne isotopes, analytical expressions for the dependence on frequency of output power, unsaturated gain and saturated gain are obtained and computed at different neon isotope concentrations, gas pressures and cavity losses. Simultaneous consideration of these dependences is proposed and used for an explanation of experimentally observed peculiarities in frequency tuning. The obtained results could be used for realization of a frequency-stabilized He–Ne laser of a few milliwatts power for the purposes of multidimensional interferometric measurements.     

Amplitude-modulation-free optoelectronic frequency control of laser diodes

A novel method is described for fast frequency modulation or frequency control of diode lasers that avoids problems associated with bias current modulation, namely, amplitude modulation and thermal phase delays. The method is based on amplitude-modulated, noninterfering control light with a wavelength near the transparency region of the laser diode, which specifically modifies the spectral gain profile to yield a constant gain but a controllable refractive index at the lasing wavelength. This permits amplitude-modulation-free frequency modulation at modulation frequencies up to the relaxation oscillation frequency. A phase lock between the emissions of two extended-cavity diode lasers that could not be achieved with bias current modulation was achieved by this method.     

Transition of lasing modes in disordered active photonic crystals

The transition from a photonic band-edge laser to a random laser in two-dimensional active photonic crystals is described. The lasing modes in the active photonic crystals shift from the edge of the photonic bandgap to the bulk of the gap when a certain amount of position and size disorder is introduced. The shift of lasing modes is determined with various gain profiles. The results show that the modulation of lasing modes is significant when the lasing transition wavelength overlaps the photonic bandgap.     

Wavelength-tunable organic solid-state distributed-feedback laser

We report on a wavelength-tunable organic solid-state laser based on a second-order distributed-feedback (DFB) resonator design with the guest–host system Alq₃:DCM2 as the gain medium. The laser wavelength can be shifted from 608.9 to 646.5 nm by varying the grating period of the Bragg reflector. This allows the characterization of laser parameters for a large wavelength region on a single sample. The laser threshold and output characteristics are measured for different laser wavelengths. A minimum threshold for laser activity occurs at a lasing wavelength of 633 nm, giving the spectral position of the gain maximum. PACS 42.70.Jk; 78.45.+h; 78.66.Qn     

Optical Gain of 1550-nm Range Multiple-Quantum-Well Heterostructures and Limiting Modulation Frequencies of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers Based on Them

Results of investigation of 1550 nm range stripe semiconductor lasers fabricated from heterostructures with different designs of the gain medium are presented. It is shown that the proposed designs of the gain medium allow obtaining the effective lasing at high level of total optical losses, comparable with the typical optical losses in the vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. The evaluation of modal gain in different types of the gain mediummade it possible to estimate the possible frequencies of the small-signal modulation of vertically emitting lasers and proposed the ways to increase them up to 20 GHz or more.     

Lateral Current Injection (LCI) Multiple Quantum-Well 1.55 μm Laser with Improved Gain Uniformity Across the Active Region

A simulation study of lateral current injection 1.55 m laser with strain-compensated multiple quantum-well (MQW) active region (InGaAsP well, InGaAlAs barrier) is presented using self-consistent 2D numerical simulations. The effects of different mesa width and p-doping in the QWs on the carrier and gain uniformity across the active region are explored. A high p-doping in the quantum wells is found to increases the carrier and gain non-uniformity across the active region. The QW region close to the n-contact side does not provide much gain at high optical powers. An asymmetric optical waveguide design is proposed to help reduce the gain non-uniformity across the active region. By shifting the optical modal peak toward the p-side, the modal overlap between the gain region and the optical mode is improved and a more even carrier and gain distribution is obtained. However, due to reduced bandgap of the quaternary InGaAsP p-cladding, an enhanced electron leakage out of the QWs into the p-cladding degrades the laser efficiency and increases the threshold current. Transient time–domain simulations are also performed to determine the small-signal modulation response of the laser promising a simulated high modulation bandwidth suitable for direct-modulation applications.     

Large Signal Modulation Characteristics in the Transition Regime for Two-State Lasing Quantum Dot Lasers

Large-signal modulation capability,as an important performance indicator,is directly related to the high-speed optical communication technology involved.We experimentally and theoretically investigate the large-signal modulation characteristics of the simultaneous ground-state(GS) and the excited-state(ES) lasing in InAs/GaAs quantum dot laser diodes.The large-signal modulation capability of total light intensity in the transition regime from GS lasing to two-state lasing is unchanged as the bias-current increases.However,GS and ES large-signal eye diagrams show obvious variations during the transition.Relaxation oscillations and large-signal eye diagrams for GS,ES,and total light intensities are numerically simulated and analyzed in detail by using a rate-equation model.The findings show that a complementary relationship between the light intensities for GS and ES lasing exists in both the transition regime and the two-state lasing regime,leading to a much smaller overshooting power and a shorter settling time for the total light intensity.Therefore,the eye diagrams of GS or ES lasing are diffuse whereas those of total light intensity are constant as the bias-current increases in the transition regime.     

High power 1.5 μm integrated superluminescent light source with tilted ridge waveguide

In order to further suppress the F–P lasing and increase the superluminescent power, the tilted ridge waveguide was introduced to the integrated superluminescent device [monolithic integration of the superluminescent diode (SLD) with semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)[. By this means, high power 1.5 m integrated superluminescent light source has been fabricated without anti-reflection (AR) coating. The F–P oscillations between the two cleaved facets were suppressed successfully compared with the device without ridge waveguide. More than 200 mW peak pulsed power was obtained under quasi-CW condition (0.1 ms pulse width, 10% duty cycle) by co-operation of the two integrated sections. The spectral FWHM is 25 nm.     

Dual-wavelength distributed Bragg reflector semiconductor laser based on composite resonant cavity

We report a monolithic integrated dual-wavelength laser diode based on a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) composite resonant cavity. The device consists of three sections, a DBR grating section, a passive phase section, and an active gain section. The gain section facet is cleaved to work as a laser cavity mirror. The other laser mirror is the DBR grating, which also functions as a wavelength filter and can control the number of wavelengths involved in the laser action. The reflection bandwidth of the DBR grating is fabricated to have an appropriate value to make the device work at the dual-wavelength lasing state. We adopt the quantum well intermixing (QWI) technique to provide low-absorption loss grating and passive phase section in the fabrication process. By tuning the injection currents on the DBR and the gain sections, the device can generate 0.596 nm-spaced dual-wavelength lasing at room temperature.     

Lasing characteristics of glass-fiber neodymium laser

The results of a study of the energy, temporal, and spectral characteristics of glass-fiber neodymium laser are presented. It is shown that the short-lived color centers (SCC) lead to generation of regular giant pulses, to a lowering of the superluminescence field intensity, and to an increase of the lasing efficienty in the Q-switching regime. The kinetics of the emission of a neodymium laser containing SCC in the active elements is studied. Problems encountered in obtaining a mode-locking regime in a glass-fiber laser are discussed. It is shown that the lasing spectrum consists of narrow spectral lines randomly distributed in a frequency interval up to 250–300 cm^–1.Quantum Radiophysics Division, Lebedev Physics Institute. Translated from Preprint No. 91 of the Lebedev Physics Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, 1990.     

Dual-wavelength distributed Bragg reflector semiconductor laser based on a composite resonant cavity

We report a monolithic integrated dual-wavelength laser diode based on a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) composite resonant cavity. The device consists of three sections, a DBR grating section, a passive phase section, and an active gain section. The gain section facet is cleaved to work as a laser cavity mirror. The other laser mirror is the DBR grating, which also functions as a wavelength filter and can control the number of wavelengths involved in the laser action. The reflection bandwidth of the DBR grating is fabricated to have an appropriate value to make the device work at the dual-wavelength lasing state. We adopt the quantum well intermixing (QWI) technique to provide low-absorption loss grating and passive phase section in the fabrication process. By tuning the injection currents on the DBR and the gain sections, the device can generate 0.596 nm-spaced dual-wavelength lasing at room temperature.     

驱动场相位扩散对三能级梯型系统无反转激光的影响

在旋波、慢变振幅近似下,求解考虑了驱动场相位扩散后的系统密度矩阵运动方程,并给出了这个三能级梯型系统稳态线性解析解.利用得到的稳态线性解析解分析驱动场相位扩散是如何影响该系统输出无反转激光的.对稳态线性解析解数值计算的结果显示:由于驱动场相位扩散会导致无反转激光增益减小;即使由于驱动场相位扩散引起的线宽足够大,在该系统中仍能够获得无反转激光;线宽往往是破坏无反转激光产生和折射率的提高;因驱动场相位扩散导致无反转激光增益的减小,并不是总能够通过增大驱动场的Rabi频率得到补偿.     

A scheme for ultrashort X-ray lasing without inversion

A scheme for obtaining a laser without inversion in the deep X-ray regime is proposed based on the principle of gain without inversion. A ladder scheme is proposed in the Ar⁸⁺ system. In this system, conventional lasing with population inversion in a neonlike scheme is used. This lasing field is proposed for the drive field on the higher transition of the ladder. A coherent field obtained in the high harmonics ultrashort laser provides the probe field to be amplified. The ground level is incoherently pumped into the highest level, while the latter is incoherently depumped into the ground level, at a different adjustable rate. A detailed density matrix calculation of the ladder configuration is performed [3], and the conditions under which the system exhibits inversionless gain, as well as regular gain, are derived. Numerical calculations in the bare state picture exhibits gain without inversion both at resonance and at the generalized Rabi side bands. The probe lineshape is shown to be constructed of two symmetrical dispersionlike features each centered at the generalized Rabi side bands. This is evidence of the quantum interference occurring at these locations and the basis for the gain without inversion.     

Self-tuned quantum dot gain in photonic crystal lasers

We demonstrate that very few (2-4) quantum dots as a gain medium are sufficient to realize a photonic-crystal laser based on a high-quality nanocavity. Photon correlation measurements show a transition from a thermal to a coherent light state proving that lasing action occurs at ultralow thresholds. Observation of lasing is unexpected since the cavity mode is in general not resonant with the discrete quantum dot states and emission at those frequencies is suppressed. In this situation, the quasicontinuous quantum dot states become crucial since they provide an energy-transfer channel into the lasing mode, effectively leading to a self-tuned resonance for the gain medium.     

Theory of the double heterostructure laser: III. Self-consistent calculations of the electrical and optical characteristics

Self-consistent calculations of the electrical and optical properties of the double-heterostructure laser have been made. Theoretical studies of both aspects of the device performance have been utilized in this work which describes the behaviour of the laser both below and at threshold. The interdependence of the electrical and optical properties of the device has been established and incorporated into a self-consistency scheme.A computer program has been developed to perform the calculations given the specification of device parameters. Within the program the transport equations are solved, the active region refractive index calculated and then used in the waveguide theory. From the solution to the waveguide equations a lasing frequency and threshold current for the specified cavity mode are obtained. A consistency criterion is applied between the transport and waveguide parts of the theory.The program allows the performance of the laser to be monitored providing such information asI–V characteristics, near and far field patterns for various cavity modes with their threshold currents and lasing frequencies.