External cavity quantum dot tunable laser through 1.55 μm

The optical performance of InAs/InGaAsP quantum dot (QD) lasers grown on (1 0 0) InP was studied for three different material structures. The most efficient QD laser structure, having a threshold current of 107 mA and an external differential quantum efficiency of 9.4% at room temperature, was used to form the active region of a grating-coupled external cavity tunable laser. A tuning range of 110 nm was demonstrated, which was mainly limited by the mirror and internal losses of the uncoated laser diode. Rapid state-filling of the QDs was also demonstrated by observing the evolution of the spectra with increasing injected current.     

Multi-order diffractive optical elements for achromatic interconnections at 1.30 μm and 1.55 μm

We propose a class of diffractive components allowing free-space optical systems to operate at the two telecommunication wavelengths simultaneously. These are fifth order diffractive components working at the sixth order at 1.30 μm and at the fifth order at 1.55 μm. Simulation results showing the link efficiency between two single-mode fibres as a function of the wavelength are presented. The width of the two transmission windows depends on the architecture of the whole system, which must be designed in accordance with technological realizability.     

1.55 μm InGaAsP/InP tapered stripe superluminescent diodes with potential optical sensor system applications

We proposed a structure of a 1.55 μm InGaAsP/InP superluminescent diode (SLD) to suppress the lasing action and fabricated laterally tilted multi-quantum well planar buried heterostructure separate confinement heterostructure SLD by using MOCVD and LPE equipments. The fabricated SLD is laterally tilted by 15°. The output power of SLD was 11 mW for 200 mA under pulse driving. The full-width at half-maximum was 42 nm at 200 mA.     

Reliability of 1.3-μm InGaAsP/InP laser diodes

Degradation mechanisms and methods for reliability improvement in 1.3-μm quaternary lasers for use in submarine fiber optic cable communications are reviewed. The reliable diode requires an optimized structure, such as a thin active layer and a narrow stripe width, to achieve a low threshold current I_th, high characteristic temperature T_o, and high maximum temperature for CW operation, T^CW_max. Accelerated long-term life test data predict an MTTF of ∼10⁷ h at room temperature for state-of-the-art optimized lasers with T_o ∼ 80 K, T^CW_max∼ 100°C, I_th ∼ 20 mA, and 5-mW optical power, which barely meets the system requirement. Based on the present rate of reliability improvement, a useful life of ∼10⁹ h is forecast by 1986.     

Room temperature CW lasing operation of monolithically grown 1.55 μm vertical external cavity surface emitting laser

We report room temperature (20 °C) continuous-wave operation of 1.55 μm vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers. The optically pumped monolithic InP-based structure, grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition, includes a InP/InGaAsP Bragg reflector, and an active region with strain compensated quantum wells. Output power up to 4 mW is obtained at 0 °C. The thermal impedance of the structure is deduced from the experimental data.     

Megawatt peak power 8–13 μm CdSe optical parametric generator pumped at 2.8 μm

Infrared pulses, continuously tunable in the 8–13 μm range, and with up to 1 MW peak power, have been achieved using single-stage frequency conversion in a CdSe travelling-wave optical parametric generator, pumped by 100 ps pulses from an actively mode-locked, Q-switched and cavity dumped 2.8 μm Cr,Er:YSGG laser. The external quantum conversion efficiency reached 10%.     

Novel 0.98/1.55 μm dichroic coupler based on lithium niobate

A novel 0.98/1.55 μm dichroic coupler with high-extinction ratio and low insertion loss has been designed and implemented on LiNbO₃ for Erbium-doped fiber amplifier applications. The design of dichroic coupler is based on a modified directional coupler structure with a single bend in each channel. Beam propagation method is used to analyze the coupler performance to get the optimal parameters for device design, such as channel width, titanium thickness, channel gap, and interaction length. Samples with the signal coupling ratio as high as 100% and pumping power ratio as high as 95% have been obtained.     

Measurements and interpretation of the absorption of 0.35 μm laser radiation on planar targets

We report on experimental plasma absorption of 0.35 μm radiation incident on plane targets. Absorption fractions between 50 and 98% were found for UV pulses of 90 and 450 ps duration on planar CH, nickel, and gold targets for intensities between 10¹³ and 3 × 10¹⁵ W/cm². The results are in agreement with computer calculations using inverse bremsstrahlung absorption and a thermal electron heat flux limiter between 0.03 and 0.06     

Infrared absorption by acetylene in the 12–14 μm region at low temperatures

Spectral transmittance measurements have been performed on N₂-broadened lines of ¹²C₂H₂ and ¹²C¹³CH₂ in the 13.7 μm region at 153,200, and 296 K. From line-by-line comparison of observed and computed spectral transmittance, line strengths, half-widths, and their dependence on temperature have been deduced for conditions relevant to the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Titan, and Earth.     

Room temperature 2 μm Tm,Ho : YLF laser

We present the results obtained with a Tm,Ho : YLF crystal, grown in the new crystals growth facility realized in the Dipartimento di Fisica of the Università di Pisa. The 2 μm laser performance has been studied for three different pump sources, a Ti : Sapphire, a diode—tuned at 792.7 nm—and a Co : MgF₂ laser, tuned at 1.682 μm.     

A 168-km ultra-long-range OTDR measurement at a wavelength of 1.55 μm

A Rayleigh backscattered signal and Fresnel reflection over a 167.6-km and a 251.2-km long pure silica-core fiber (PSF) with fiber loss 0.176 dB/km, and a 138.6-km and a 206.5-km long Ge-doped core dispersion shifted fiber (DSF) with fiber loss 0.218 dB/km have been observed with ultra-long-range optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) using a 1.55-μm high-power semiconductor laser (LD) and InGaAs-APD with a low dark current at room temperature. The Rayleigh backscattered signal level and fiber loss are strongly dependent on the fiber dopant materials and fiber structural parameters. DSF gives a better SNR for short length fibers because the Rayleigh backscattered signal level is larger than PSF, but because the DSF loss is also larger, PSF gives a better SNR for fibers longer than the critical length. Accordingly, the dynamic range of OTDR in the different fiber types such as PSF and DSF becomes different. One-way backscattered dynamic ranges of 29.5 dB for the PSF and about 30.2 dB for the DSF at room temperature have been achieved.     

High-speed 1.55 μm InGaAs/InGaAsP multi-quantum well λ/4-shifted DFB lasers

The high-speed modulation properties of 1.5 μm multiquantum-well λ/4-shifted DFB lasers are filly reviewed. In particular, the dependence of intrinsic dynamic properties, such as relaxation oscillation frequency, nonlinear damping phenomenon, and spectral chirping under 10 Gbit/s direct modulation, on the number of quantum wells is systematically investigated and compared with those of bulk lasers. The results indicate that the dependence of the above three factors on the number of wells is clearly explained by the linear gain saturation of the quantum-well lasers and that the optimum number of wells should be more than ten in order to increase the modulation bandwidth.     

Optical spectroscopy of single InAs/InP quantum dots around λ=1.55 μm

We discuss the preparation and spectroscopic characterisation of a single InAs/InP quantum dot suitable for long-distance quantum key distribution applications around λ=1.55 μm. The dot is prepared using a site-selective growth technique which allows a single dot to be deposited in isolation at a controlled spatial location. Micro-photoluminescence measurements as a function of exciton occupation are used to determine the electronic structure of the dot. Biexciton emission, shell filling and many-body re-normalization effects are observed for the first time in single InAs/InP quantum dots.     

Single InAs/InP quantum dot spectroscopy in 1.3–1.55 μm telecommunication band

We present an optical spectroscopy and photon correlation measurement at telecommunication wavelengths performed on single InAs/InP quantum dots. Two main approaches brought high optical quality: an application of a ‘double-cap’ growth method to metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, and fabrication of a small mesa structure using low-damage wet chemical etching. Sharp and discrete exciton transition lines have been observed on the single quantum dots, which widely cover the spectral range of 1.3–1.55 μm. Using a pulsed excitation source and gated single-photon detection modules, we observed a photon antibunching behavior for an isolated exciton emission line, indicating nonclassical light emission near the wavelength of 1.3 μm.     

PSDF of log-amplitude scintillation for 7 μm band laser beam with absorption by water vapour

The power spectral density function (PSDF) of the log-amplitude scintillation for an infrared laser beam was measured experimentally. To investigate the contribution of the absorption and the dispersion that cause the scintillation, we chose 16 wavelengths of infrared light and one wavelength of visible light. It is found that the spectral density of scintillation for the infrared beam does not agree with that for the visible beam, as predicted by Tatarskii's theory in the low-frequency region below 1 Hz. This disagreement between the experiment and the theory in the low-frequency region should be attributed to water vapour absorption.     

Photoacoustic monitoring of gases using a novel laser source tunable around 2.5 μm

We present the first spectroscopic measurements using a tunable solid state Cr²+:ZnSe laser emitting at wavelengths between 2.2 μm and 2.8 μm. Photoacoustic measurements on various gases such as methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide, and ambient air were carried out. In this paper, we present measurements on methane, nitrous oxide, and ambient air. The deduced detection limits are in the low ppm or sub-ppm range, e.g., 0.2 ppm for carbon dioxide, 0.8 ppm for methane and 2.7 ppm for carbon monoxide.     

SiGe (Ge-dot) heterojunction phototransistors for efficient light detection at 1.3–1.55 μm

The aim of this work is to develop a Si/SiGe HBT-type phototransistor with several Ge dot layers incorporated in the collector, in order to obtain improved light detectivity at 1.3–1.55 μm. The MBE grown HBT detectors are of n–p–n type and based on a multilayer structure containing 10 Ge-dot layers (8 ML in each layer, separated by 60 nm Si spacer) in the base-collector junction. The transistors were processed for normal incidence or with waveguide geometry where the light is coupled through the edge of the sample. The measured breakdown voltage, BV_ceo, was about 6 V. Compared to a p–i–n reference photodiode with the same dot layer structure, photoconductivity measurements show that the responsivity is improved by a factor of 60 for normal incidence at 1.3 μm. When the light is coupled through the edge of the device, the detectivity is even further enhanced. The measured photo-responsivity is more than 100 and 5 mA/W at 1.3 and 1.55 μm, respectively.     

High power 1.3414 μm Nd:YAP cw laser

The eigen-oscillation mode of the Nd:YAP cw laser has been analysed. The influence of thermal effects arising from the pumping process on the output character of the 1.3414 μm Nd:YAP cw laser has been discussed. The crack problem of the reflective film at a 1.34 μm dielectric mirror has been solved. Based on the aforementioned work, we have been able to achieve an 82.8 W laser output at 1.3414 μm with a nearly polarized beam from a 5.8 mm diameter by 111 mm Nd:YAP rod. The overall efficiency and the slope efficiency are 1.15% and 2.02% respectively, and the fluctuation of the output power at 62 W is less than 1% during continuous operation for 45 min.     

High temperature (T>300 K) light emitting diodes for 8–12 μm spectral range

Contrary to conventional light emitting diodes for visible and very near infrared utilizing interband (ω>E_g) luminescence, the longer infrared emitting diodes (LIREDs) we describe here utilize intraband (ω<E_g) electron transitions and emit beyond the fundamental absorption range of the material used. Made of indirect band gap semiconductors (like Ge, Si) and, therefore, free from the Auger recombination impact, LIREDs efficiently operate at higher temperatures (T>300 K) in the longer wavelength atmospheric window (8–12 μm). Electrically modulated power emitted is comparable to that for black body sources whereas shorter rise–fall times are due to recombination processes (200 μs) and not dependent on pixel thermal mass and thermal conduction. LIREDs can be made of different semiconductor structures provided the controllable modulation of free carrier concentration in the device base is achieved. The main parameters of Ge based LIREDs under injection mode are reported.     

GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb lasers in the wavelength range between 2.73 μm and 2.93 μm

Compressively strained multiple quantum well lasers in the GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb material system are reported. Indium concentrations between 40% and 47.5% were chosen for the GaInAsSb quantum wells. Compressive strains varied between 1.16% and 1.43%. The lasers worked continuous wave at room temperature up to a wavelength of 2.81 μm. For a laser with 2.93 μm wavelength continuous wave operation was found up to a temperature of −23°C. This laser worked in pulsed operation at 15°C.