Linewidth narrowing in self-injection-locked on-chip lasers.

Stable laser emission with narrow linewidth is of critical importance in many applications, including coherent communications, LIDAR, and remote sensing. In this work, the physics underlying spectral narrowing of self-injection-locked on-chip lasers to Hz-level lasing linewidth is investigated using a composite-cavity structure. Heterogeneously integrated III-V/SiN lasers operating with quantum-dot and quantum-well active regions are analyzed with a focus on the effects of carrier quantum confinement. The intrinsic differences are associated with gain saturation and carrier-induced refractive index, which are directly connected with 0- and 2-dimensional carrier densities of states. Results from parametric studies are presented for tradeoffs involved with tailoring the linewidth, output power, and injection current for different device configurations. Though both quantum-well and quantum-dot devices show similar linewidth-narrowing capabilities, the former emits at a higher optical power in the self-injection-locked state, while the latter is more energy-efficient. Lastly, a multi-objective optimization analysis is provided to optimize the operation and design parameters. For the quantum-well laser, minimizing the number of quantum-well layers is found to decrease the threshold current without significantly reducing the output power. For the quantum-dot laser, increasing the quantum-dot layers or density in each layer increases the output power without significantly increasing the threshold current. These findings serve to guide more detailed parametric studies to produce timely results for engineering design.

Multimode description of self-mode locking in a single-section quantum-dot laser.

This paper describes a theory for mode locking and frequency comb generation by four-wave mixing in a semiconductor quantum-dot active medium. The derivation uses a multimode semiclassical laser theory that accounts for fast carrier collisions within an inhomogeneous distribution of quantum dots. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the role of active medium nonlinearities in mode competition, gain saturation, carrier-induced refractive index and creation of combination tones that lead to locking of beat frequencies among lasing modes in the presence of cavity material dispersion.

Determining the linewidth enhancement factor via optical feedback in quantum dot micropillar lasers.

The linewidth enhancement factor α is a key parameter determining the spectral and dynamical behavior of semiconductor lasers. Here, we propose and demonstrate a method for determining this parameter based on a direct measurement of variations in the laser gain and emission spectrum when subject to delayed optical feedback. We then use our approach to determine the pump current dependent linewidth enhancement factor of a high-ß quantum dot micropillar laser. The validity of our approach is confirmed comparing it to two conventional methods, one based on the comparison of the linewidths above and below threshold and the other based on injection locking properties. Furthermore, the pump power dependence of α is quantitatively described by simulations based on a quantum-optical model.

Nonpolar InGaN/GaN Core-Shell Single Nanowire Lasers.

We report lasing from nonpolar p-i-n InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well core-shell single-nanowire lasers by optical pumping at room temperature. The nanowire lasers were fabricated using a hybrid approach consisting of a top-down two-step etch process followed by a bottom-up regrowth process, enabling precise geometrical control and high material gain and optical confinement. The modal gain spectra and the gain curves of the core-shell nanowire lasers were measured using micro-photoluminescence and analyzed using the Hakki-Paoli method. Significantly lower lasing thresholds due to high optical gain were measured compared to previously reported semipolar InGaN/GaN core-shell nanowires, despite significantly shorter cavity lengths and reduced active region volume. Mode simulations show that due to the core-shell architecture, annular-shaped modes have higher optical confinement than solid transverse modes. The results show the viability of this p-i-n nonpolar core-shell nanowire architecture, previously investigated for next-generation light-emitting diodes, as low-threshold, coherent UV-visible nanoscale light emitters, and open a route toward monolithic, integrable, electrically injected single-nanowire lasers operating at room temperature.

Emission from quantum-dot high-ß microcavities: transition from spontaneous emission to lasing and the effects of superradiant emitter coupling.

Measured and calculated results are presented for the emission properties of a new class of emitters operating in the cavity quantum electrodynamics regime. The structures are based on high-finesse GaAs/AlAs micropillar cavities, each with an active medium consisting of a layer of InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) and the distinguishing feature of having a substantial fraction of spontaneous emission channeled into one cavity mode (high ß-factor). This paper demonstrates that the usual criterion for lasing with a conventional (low ß-factor) cavity, that is, a sharp non-linearity in the input-output curve accompanied by noticeable linewidth narrowing, has to be reinforced by the equal-time second-order photon autocorrelation function to confirm lasing. The paper also shows that the equal-time second-order photon autocorrelation function is useful for recognizing superradiance, a manifestation of the correlations possible in high-ß microcavities operating with QDs. In terms of consolidating the collected data and identifying the physics underlying laser action, both theory and experiment suggest a sole dependence on intracavity photon number. Evidence for this assertion comes from all our measured and calculated data on emission coherence and fluctuation, for devices ranging from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and cavity-enhanced LEDs to lasers, lying on the same two curves: one for linewidth narrowing versus intracavity photon number and the other for g(2)(0) versus intracavity photon number.

Amplitude-phase coupling and chirp in quantum-dot lasers: influence of charge carrier scattering dynamics.

We investigate the dependence of the amplitude-phase coupling in quantum-dot (QD) lasers on the charge-carrier scattering timescales. The carrier scattering processes influence the relaxation oscillation parameters, as well as the frequency chirp, which are both important parameters when determining the modulation performance of the laser device and its reaction to optical perturbations. We find that the FM/AM response exhibits a strong dependence on the modulation frequency, which leads to a modified optical response of QD lasers when compared to conventional laser devices. Furthermore, the frequency response curve changes with the scattering time scales, which can allow for an optimization of the laser stability towards optical perturbations.

Modeling of temperature and excitation dependences of efficiency in an InGaN light-emitting diode.

The changes in excitation dependence of efficiency with temperature are modeled for a wurtzite InGaN light-emitting diode. The model incorporates bandstructure changes with carrier density because of screening of quantum-confined Stark effect. Bandstructure is computed by solving Poisson and k · p equations in the envelope approximation. The information is used in a dynamical model for populations in momentum-resolved electron and hole states. Application of the approach shows the interplay of quantum-well and barrier emissions giving rise to shape changes in efficiency versus current density with changing temperature, as observed in some experiments.

Single-mode GaN nanowire lasers.

We demonstrate stable, single-frequency output from single, as-fabricated GaN nanowire lasers operating far above lasing threshold. Each laser is a linear, double-facet GaN nanowire functioning as gain medium and optical resonator, fabricated by a top-down technique that exploits a tunable dry etch plus anisotropic wet etch for precise control of the nanowire dimensions and high material gain. A single-mode linewidth of ~0.12 nm and >18 dB side-mode suppression ratio are measured. Numerical simulations indicate that single-mode lasing arises from strong mode competition and narrow gain bandwidth.

Failure of the α factor in describing dynamical instabilities and chaos in quantum-dot lasers.

We show that the long-established concept of a linewidth-enhancement factor α to describe carrier-induced refractive index changes in semiconductor lasers breaks down in quantum-dot (QD) lasers when describing complex dynamic scenarios, found, for example, under high-excitation or optical injection. By comparing laser simulations using a constant α factor with results from a more complex nonequilibrium model that separately treats gain and refractive index dynamics, we examine the conditions under which an approximation of the amplitude-phase coupling by an α factor becomes invalid. The investigations show that while a quasiequilibrium approach for conventional quantum well lasers is valid over a reasonable parameter range, allowing one to introduce an α factor as a constant parameter, the concept is in general not applicable to predict QD laser dynamics due to the different time scales of the involved scattering processes.

Modeling excitation-dependent bandstructure effects on InGaN light-emitting diode efficiency.

Bandstructure properties in wurtzite quantum wells can change appreciably with changing carrier density because of screening of quantum-confined Stark effect. An approach for incorporating these changes in an InGaN light-emitting-diode model is described. Bandstructure is computed for different carrier densities by solving Poisson and k·p equations in the envelop approximation. The information is used as input in a dynamical model for populations in momentum-resolved electron and hole states. Application of the approach is illustrated by modeling device internal quantum efficiency as a function of excitation.

Observation of Rabi splitting from surface plasmon coupled conduction state transitions in electrically excited InAs quantum dots.

We demonstrate strong coupling between a surface plasmon and intersublevel transitions in self-assembled InAs quantum dots. The surface plasmon mode exists at the interface between the semiconductor emitter structure and a periodic array of holes perforating a metallic Pd/Ge/Au film that also serves as the top electrical contact for the emitters. Spectrally narrowed quantum-dot electroluminescence was observed for devices with varying subwavelength hole spacing. Devices designed for 9, 10, and 11 µm wavelength emission also exhibit a significant spectral splitting. The association of the splitting with quantum-dot Rabi oscillation is consistent with results from a calculation of spontaneous emission from an interacting plasmonic field and quantum-dot ensemble. The fact that this Rabi oscillation can be observed in an incoherently excited, highly inhomogeneously broadened system demonstrates the utility of intersublevel transitions in quantum dots for investigations of coherent transient and quantum coherence phenomena.

Antibunching of thermal radiation by a room-temperature phonon bath: a numerically solvable model for a strongly interacting light-matter-reservoir system.

Progress in semiconductor technology introduces a new platform for quantum optics studies in solid state: a quantum dot strongly coupled to a cavity mode. We present a numerically solvable model for the combined electron, photon, and phonon dynamics. For a cavity mode prepared in a Fock state, the model reproduces the Jaynes-Cumming solution and interaction with a phonon bath leads to a higher value for the intensity-intensity correlation function: g;(2)(0). In contrast, for an initial thermal photon distribution, the phonon-bath interaction gives a counterintuitive reduction in g;(2)(0), resulting in the classical photon distribution evolving into a nonclassical one.

Using chaos for remote sensing of laser radiation.

An idea is proposed for detecting a weak laser signal from a remote source in the presence of strong background noise. The scheme exploits dynamical nonlinearities arising from heterodyning signal and reference fields inside an active reference laser cavity. This paper shows that for certain reference laser configurations, the resulting bifurcations in the reference laser may be used as warning of irradiation by a laser source.

Circumventing the Manley-Rowe quantum efficiency limit in an optically pumped terahertz quantum-cascade amplifier.

Using a microscopic theory based on the Maxwell-semiconductor Bloch equations, we investigate the feasibility of an optically pumped electrically driven terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade laser as a pathway to room-temperature THz generation. In optical conversion schemes the power conversion efficiency is limited by the Manley-Rowe relation. We circumvent this constraint by incorporating an electrical bias in a four level intersubband scheme, thereby allowing coherent recovery of the optical pump energy. The observed THz radiation is generated through both stimulated emission and automatically phase-matched quantum coherence contributions--making the proposed approach both a promising source for THz radiation and a model system for quantum coherence effects such as lasing without inversion and electromagnetically induced transparency.

Self-induced chaos in a single-mode inversionless laser.

A single-mode inversionless laser with a three-level phaseonium as an active medium can by itself exhibit complex nonlinear dynamics. Nonlinear interaction between two spectrally separated gain regions of the phaseonium and a lasing field gives rise to instabilities and chaotic self-pulsations of a type not observed in conventional lasers with population-inverted gain media. We calculate the bifurcation diagram and uncover multistability and a torus-doubling cascade in transition to chaos.

Chaos in practically isolated microcavity lasers.

We report that essentially isolated microcavity lasers may interact in the most complicated manner and drive each other chaotic. As the optical isolation between these lasers reaches presently practically attainable limits, instead of approaching independent operation, the lasers exhibit mutually induced chaotic oscillations. The chaos arises from an intricate coupling of the nonlinearities associated with coupled optical resonators and those evolving from the population dynamics in the active region. The investigation is performed using a composite-cavity theory and a class-B description of the gain medium. Bifurcation analysis identifies the source of instabilities and determines their robustness.