Theoretical analysis of the buried heterostructure laser for stable dual-wavelength generation.

Stable dual-wavelength emission from a laser is desirable for microwave signal generation using the optical heterodyning method. As both optical wavelengths are generated from the same cavity, the phase noise of the generated microwave signal is minimized. In this work, we exploit the inherent birefringence in the buried heterostructure semiconductor laser to generate dual polarized modes. We carefully analyze the mode competition between various modes in the cavity and propose the desirable gain modification conditions for stable dual mode oscillations when the laser is operating near the threshold. We show that the required asymmetry in the gain for two stable modes can be obtained from the mode confinement factors and facet losses. We also show the applicability of our results to a homogeneously broadened multimode laser.

Limits imposed by nonlinear coupling on rotation sensitivity of a semiconductor ring laser gyroscope.

The sensitivity of a monolithically integrated semiconductor ring laser gyro is severely limited by the high value of the lock-in threshold. In this work, we calculate the lock-in threshold using perturbation theory and coupled mode theory analysis. It is shown that gyro sensitivity is limited to an input rotation rate of 108 deg / h due to nonlinear coupling between the countertraveling modes. This coupling arises due to the backreflection of modes from moving index gratings, induced by rotation. Lock-in threshold is directly proportional to the strength of nonlinear coupling and spatial overlap of the modes' energy densities with periodic index perturbations.