Delay differential equations for mode-locked semiconductor lasers

We propose a new model for passive mode locking that is a set of ordinary delay differential equations. We assume a ring-cavity geometry and Lorentzian spectral filtering of the pulses but do not use small gain and loss and weak saturation approximations. By means of a continuation method, we study mode-locking solutions and their stability. We find that stable mode locking can exist even when the nonlasing state between pulses becomes unstable.     

锥形半导体激光器研究进展

锥形半导体激光器具有高功率、高光束质量等特点,因此受到广泛关注并成为研究热点。从3种结构(传统结构、分布式布拉格反射(DBR)结构、侧向光栅条纹结构)的锥形半导体激光器出发,对国内外近十年具有代表性研究成果进行综述,介绍其理论研究和实验进展,并对锥形半导体激光器的未来发展进行展望。     

Ultrashort pulses from semiconductor diode lasers

Careful design of mounting structures and drive-circuit parameters is essential to obtain very short pulse-lengths with high peak powers from semiconductor diode lasers. We have developed a diode laser model using a coupled rate equation approach to predict operating regimes producing ultrashort output pulses. The model has been refined through comparison with experiment, and a 10 ps source, designed on the basis of this model, has been implemented.     

Time delays in lead-salt semiconductor diode lasers

Time delays of typically 15–17 have been measured directly for PbS_1–xSe_x, Pb_1–xSn_xSe and Pb_1–xSn_xTe diode lasers at injection levels just above threshold in each case. The corresponding minority carrier lifetimes, as determined using the one-carrier injection model, were typically 2–4.     

Anticolliding design for monolithic passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers

The performance of two-section, passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers is theoretically analyzed for different cavity designs. Placing the saturable absorber section close to an antireflection-coated facet leads to a substantial increase in output power and a reduction in amplitude and timing jitter. Moreover, it broadens the bias current region of stable passive mode-locking operation.     

Soliton-like pulse-shaping mechanism in passively mode-locked surface-emitting semiconductor lasers

We discuss a mechanism that allows the formation of nearly transform-limited soliton-like pulses in passively mode-locked optically pumped external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers. It involves the interplay of positive dispersion and the nonlinear index changes in gain medium and saturable absorber, while ordinary solitons are based on dispersion and the Kerr effect. The obtained quasi-soliton pulses share some of the properties of ordinary solitons (in particular, their stability and near bandwidth-limited nature), while other properties are different. In particular, the pulse duration scales with the square root of the cavity dispersion, and an excessive drift of the laser wavelength must be avoided by proper design. Received: 23 April 2002 / Published online: 25 September 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +41-1/633-1059, E-mail: Paschotta@iqe.phys.ethz.ch     

Intensity noise of mode-locked fiber grating external cavity semiconductor lasers

The noise of hybrid soliton pulse source (HSPS) with linearly chirped Gaussian apodized fiber Bragg grating is analyzed by couple-mode equations including spontaneous emission noise when HSPS is mode-locked. Relative intensity noise (RIN) is calculated using numerical solutions of these equations. It is shown that transform-limited pulses are generated over a wide tuning range around the fundamental mode-locking frequency with low spontaneous noise. However, high noise level affects the operation of device, and therefore transform-limited pulses are not obtainable over a wide tuning range. Linewidth enhancement factor and spontaneous coupling factor are the most effective noise parameters and noise increases with increasing value of these parameters.     

Linewidth analysis of 40-GHz passively mode-locked multi-mode semiconductor lasers

An experimental analysis on the quality of 40-GHz radio-frequency signals generated by various passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers is addressed. The analysis is performed considering the frequency linewidth of 40-GHz optically generated signals and the number of longitudinal modes selected by the cavity of each laser under study. Four of these devices are multi-quantum wells InAlGaAs Fabry-Pérot lasers. They have been engineered to exhibit a specific number of longitudinal modes: 4, 5, 10, and 22 modes, respectively. Another device under test is a bulk distributed Bragg reflector laser exhibiting 3 lasing modes. The last device under study is a quantum-dash Fabry-Pérot laser characterized by 40 lasing modes. From our experimental results it appears that, regardless the nature of the device cavity and active media, the strength of the passively mode-locked mechanism might be enhanced with the number of longitudinal modes oscillating into the laser cavity, allowing a reduction in the frequency linewidth.     

On time delays in lead salt semiconductor diode lasers

Recently reported value of minority carrier lifetimes and time delays in lead salt diode lasers appear anomalous [A. Qadeer et al.: Appl. Phys. A33, 181–182 (1984)]. Two laser diodes, fabricated by the same technique (Hot Wall Epoxy) and of identical chemical constituents (PbSnTe and PbSnSe) failed to provide experimental evidence supporting these recently reported values, even when operated close to, but above the respective values of laser threshold current.This work was carried out at the Department of Applied Physics, Hull University, Hull (U.K.) while the author was a research student     

Relative intensity noise of mode-locked fiber grating external cavity semiconductor lasers

The noise of hybrid soliton pulse source (HSPS) with linearly chirped Gaussian apodized fiber Bragg grating is analyzed by couple-mode equations including spontaneous emission noise when the HSPS is mode-locked. Relative intensity noise is calculated using numerical solutions of these equations. It is shown that transform limited pulses are generated over a wide tuning range around the fundamental mode-locking frequency with low spontaneous noise. However, a high noise level affects the operation of device, and therefore transform-limited pulses are not obtainable over a wide tuning range. It is also shown that noise is extremely sensitive to the RF and DC currents, linewidth enhancement factor, gain saturation parameter and spontaneous coupling factor.     

Active synchronization of two mode-locked lasers with optical cross correlation

Two mode-locked Ti:sapphire lasers of different wavelengths were precisely synchronized by a simple feedback system employing sum-frequency generation (cross correlation). When the timing error exceeded the pulse duration, the periodic bunch of the sum-frequency pulse was used for rough timing adjustment. Using cross correlation with a stretched pulse, we struck a balance between wide locking range and sensitive timing detection. When the two lasers were well-synchronized, we obtained a continuous cross-correlation pulse train for 3 min. The holding time of the laser synchronization was extended to over one hour by adding a motorized stage to the PZT-mounted cavity mirror. We estimated the rms timing jitter between the two lasers by a scanning cross-correlation measurement. We confirmed that the rms timing jitter of the two lasers during 1.8 s was 28 fs. Received: 30 January 2002 / Revised version: 14 June 2002 / Published online: 8 August 2002     

Towards wafer-scale integration of high repetition rate passively mode-locked surface-emitting semiconductor lasers

One of the most application-relevant milestones that remain to be achieved in the field of passively mode-locked surface-emitting semiconductor lasers is the integration of the semiconductor absorber into the gain structure, enabling the realization of ultra-compact high-repetition-rate laser devices suitable for wafer-scale integration. We have recently succeeded in fabricating the key element in this concept, a quantum-dot-based saturable absorber with a very low saturation fluence, which for the first time allows stable mode locking of surface-emitting semiconductor lasers with the same mode areas on gain and absorber. Experimental results at high repetition rates of up to 30 GHz are shown. PACS 42.55.Px; 42.60.Fc; 42.82.Gw     

外腔半导体激光器中激光二极管端面反射率的谱特性分析

考虑到端面反射率与波长有关 ,且带宽有限的实验事实 ,以及增益谱随载流子密度变化的因素 ,着重分析了激光二极管 (L D)镀膜端面反射率带宽、极小波长位置参量对光栅外腔激光器 (ECL D)调谐范围的影响。分析表明 ,除了 L D镀膜端面剩余反射率值、外腔反馈效率等因素之外 ,增大反射率带宽、精确控制极小波长位置是进一步挖掘 ECL D调谐范围的有效措施。增大反射率带宽 ,可更有效地提高参考载流子密度 ,延伸长波长端调谐区域 ,抑制 F- P腔影响。在确定的条件下 ,优化后的极小波长位置对应于调谐范围的极大值。理论分析结果较好地解释了实验现象     

Demonstration of an all-optical switch by use of a multiwavelength mutual injection-locked laser diode

Error-free all-optical packet switching is demonstrated by use of a multiwavelength mutual injection-locked Fabry-Perot laser diode. A 10-Gbit/s data signal is switched on and off with an extinction ratio of 16.9 dB when an optical control signal is turned off and on with a power difference of only 3 dB.     

Optical phase noise and carrier-envelope offset noise of mode-locked lasers

The timing jitter, optical phase noise, and carrier-envelope offset (CEO) noise of passively mode-locked lasers are closely related. New key results concern analytical calculations of the quantum noise limits for optical phase noise and CEO noise. Earlier results for the optical phase noise of actively mode-locked lasers are generalized, particularly for application to passively mode-locked lasers. It is found, for example, that mode locking with slow absorbers can lead to optical linewidths far above the Schawlow–Townes limit. Furthermore, mode-locked lasers can at the same time have nearly quantum-limited timing jitter and a strong optical excess phase noise. A feedback timing stabilization via cavity length control can, depending on the situation, reduce or greatly increase the optical phase noise, while not affecting the CEO noise. Besides presenting such findings, the paper also tries to clarify some basic aspects of phase noise in mode-locked lasers. PACS 42.50.Lc; 42.60.Fc     

Photon-number fluctuation and correlation of bound soliton pairs in mode-locked fiber lasers

Quantum photon-number fluctuation and correlation of bound soliton pairs in mode-locked fiber lasers are studied on the basis of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation model. We find that, depending on their phase difference, the total photon-number noise of the bound soliton pair can be larger or smaller than that of a single soliton, and the two solitons in the soliton pair have a corresponding positive or negative photon-number correlation. It is predicted for the first time to our knowledge that out-of-phase soliton pairs can exhibit less noise as a result of negative correlation.     

Attosecond active synchronization of passively mode-locked lasers by balanced cross correlation

A balanced cross correlator, the optical equivalent of a balanced microwave phase detector, is demonstrated. Its use in synchronizing an octave-spanning Ti:sapphire laser and a 30-fs Cr:forsterite laser yields 300-attosecond timing jitter measured from 10 mHz to 2.3 MHz. The spectral overlap between the two lasers is strong enough to permit direct detection of the difference in carrier-envelope offset frequency between the two lasers.     

Polarization spectroscopy of atomic oxygen by dye and semiconductor diode lasers

Summary We used polarization spectroscopy to perform a high-resolution investigation of atomic oxygen in the visible and near-infrared spectral region by means of dye and semiconductor diode lasers. We measured the fine structure of the highly excited 4d ⁵ D level and resolved the hyperfine structure of the metastable 3s ⁵ S ₂ level of¹⁷O. Isotope shift values are also reported for several transitions of the three stable oxygen isotopes (¹⁶O,¹⁷O,¹⁸O). Polarization lineshapes are discussed and compared with those obtained in saturation techniques.     

Ultralow noise and supermode suppression in an actively mode-locked external-cavity semiconductor diode ring laser

We report what is to our knowledge the lowest phase and amplitude noise characteristics achieved to date in a 10-GHz pulse train produced by the active harmonic mode locking of an external-cavity semiconductor diode laser. Supermode noise has also been suppressed below -140 dBc/Hz by use of a high-finesse fiber Fabry-Perot etalon as an intracavity filter. Novel noise sideband measurements that extend to the Nyquist offset frequency suggest a significant advantage in using harmonic (rather than fundamental) mode locking to produce ultralow-noise pulse trains, owing to the relationship between the noise roll-off frequency and the fundamental cavity frequency.