Robust single frequency index-patterned laser design using a Fourier design method.

We use a Fourier-transform based method to investigate the magnitude and robustness of mode selectivity in as-cleaved discrete-mode semiconductor lasers, where a small number of refractive index perturbations are introduced into a Fabry-Pérot laser cavity. Three exemplar index perturbation patterns are considered. Our results demonstrate the capability to significantly improve modal selectivity by choosing a perturbation distribution function that avoids placing perturbations near to the cavity centre. Our analysis also highlights the ability to select functions that can increase the yield despite facet phase errors introduced during device fabrication.

The polarization response in InAs quantum dots: theoretical correlation between composition and electronic properties.

III-V growth and surface conditions strongly influence the physical structure and resulting optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). Beyond the design of a desired active optical wavelength, the polarization response of QDs is of particular interest for optical communications and quantum information science. Previous theoretical studies based on a pure InAs QD model failed to reproduce experimentally observed polarization properties. In this work, multi-million atom simulations are performed in an effort to understand the correlation between chemical composition and polarization properties of QDs. A systematic analysis of QD structural parameters leads us to propose a two-layer composition model, mimicking In segregation and In-Ga intermixing effects. This model, consistent with mostly accepted compositional findings, allows us to accurately fit the experimental PL spectra. The detailed study of QD morphology parameters presented here serves as a tool for using growth dynamics to engineer the strain field inside and around the QD structures, allowing tuning of the polarization response.

Impact of random alloy fluctuations on inter-well transport in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well systems: an atomistic non-equilibrium Green's function study.

Recent experimental studies indicate the presence of ballistic hole transport in InGaN multi quantum well (MQW) structures. Widely used drift-diffusion models cannot give insight into this question, since quantum mechanical effects, such as tunneling, are not included in such semi-classical approaches. Also atomistic effects, e.g. carrier localization effects and built-in field variations due to (random) alloy fluctuations, are often neglected in ballistic transport calculations on InGaN quantum well systems. In this work we use atomistic tight-binding theory in conjunction with a non-equilibrium Green's function approach to study electron and hole ballistic transport in InGaN MQW systems. Our results show that for electrons the alloy microstructure is of secondary importance for their ballistic transport properties, while for hole transport the situation is different. We observe for narrow barrier widths in an InGaN MQW system that (random) alloy fluctuations give rise to extra hole transmission channels when compared to a virtual crystal description of the same system. We attribute this effect to the situation that in the random alloy case,k∥-vector conservation is broken/relaxed and therefore the ballistic hole transport is increased. However, for wider barrier width this effect is strongly reduced, which is consistent with experimental studies. Our findings also provide a possible explanation for recent experimental results where alloying the barrier between the wells leads to enhanced ballistic (hole) transport in InGaN MQW systems.

Ge1-xSnx alloys: Consequences of band mixing effects for the evolution of the band gap Γ-character with Sn concentration.

In this work we study the nature of the band gap in GeSn alloys for use in silicon-based lasers. Special attention is paid to Sn-induced band mixing effects. We demonstrate from both experiment and ab-initio theory that the (direct) Γ-character of the GeSn band gap changes continuously with alloy composition and has significant Γ-character even at low (6%) Sn concentrations. The evolution of the Γ-character is due to Sn-induced conduction band mixing effects, in contrast to the sharp indirect-to-direct band gap transition obtained in conventional alloys such as Al1-xGaxAs. Understanding the band mixing effects is critical not only from a fundamental and basic properties viewpoint but also for designing photonic devices with enhanced capabilities utilizing GeSn and related material systems.

Dynamics of light propagation in spatiotemporal dielectric structures.

Propagation, transmission and reflection properties of linearly polarized plane waves and arbitrarily short electromagnetic pulses in one-dimensional dispersionless dielectric media possessing an arbitrary space-time dependence of the refractive index are studied by using a two-component, highly symmetric version of Maxwell's equations. The use of any slow varying amplitude approximation is avoided. Transfer matrices of sharp nonstationary interfaces are calculated explicitly, together with the amplitudes of all secondary waves produced in the scattering. Time-varying multilayer structures and spatiotemporal lenses in various configurations are investigated analytically and numerically in a unified approach. Several effects are reported, such as pulse compression, broadening and spectral manipulation of pulses by a spatiotemporal lens, and the closure of the forbidden frequency gaps with the subsequent opening of wave number band gaps in a generalized Bragg reflector.

GaAs1-xBix/GaNyAs1-y type-II quantum wells: novel strain-balanced heterostructures for GaAs-based near- and mid-infrared photonics.

The potential to extend the emission wavelength of photonic devices further into the near- and mid-infrared via pseudomorphic growth on conventional GaAs substrates is appealing for a number of communications and sensing applications. We present a new class of GaAs-based quantum well (QW) heterostructure that exploits the unusual impact of Bi and N on the GaAs band structure to produce type-II QWs having long emission wavelengths with little or no net strain relative to GaAs, while also providing control over important laser loss processes. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate the potential of GaAs1-xBix/GaNyAs1-y type-II QWs on GaAs and show that this approach offers optical emission and absorption at wavelengths up to ~3 µm utilising strain-balanced structures, a first for GaAs-based QWs. Experimental measurements on a prototype GaAs0.967Bi0.033/GaN0.062As0.938 structure, grown via metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy, indicate good structural quality and exhibit both photoluminescence and absorption at room temperature. The measured photoluminescence peak wavelength of 1.72 µm is in good agreement with theoretical calculations and is one of the longest emission wavelengths achieved on GaAs to date using a pseudomorphically grown heterostructure. These results demonstrate the significant potential of this new class of III-V heterostructure for long-wavelength applications.

Optical gain in GaAsBi/GaAs quantum well diode lasers.

Electrically pumped GaAsBi/GaAs quantum well lasers are a promising new class of near-infrared devices where, by use of the unusual band structure properties of GaAsBi alloys, it is possible to suppress the dominant energy-consuming Auger recombination and inter-valence band absorption loss mechanisms, which greatly impact upon the device performance. Suppression of these loss mechanisms promises to lead to highly efficient, uncooled operation of telecommunications lasers, making GaAsBi system a strong candidate for the development of next-generation semiconductor lasers. In this report we present the first experimentally measured optical gain, absorption and spontaneous emission spectra for GaAsBi-based quantum well laser structures. We determine internal optical losses of 10-15 cm(-1) and a peak modal gain of 24 cm(-1), corresponding to a material gain of approximately 1500 cm(-1) at a current density of 2 kA cm(-2). To complement the experimental studies, a theoretical analysis of the spontaneous emission and optical gain spectra is presented, using a model based upon a 12-band k.p Hamiltonian for GaAsBi alloys. The results of our theoretical calculations are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental data, and together provide a powerful predictive capability for use in the design and optimisation of high efficiency lasers in the infrared.

Optical absorption of dilute nitride alloys using self-consistent Green's function method.

We have calculated the optical absorption for InGaNAs and GaNSb using the band anticrossing (BAC) model and a self-consistent Green's function (SCGF) method. In the BAC model, we include the interaction of isolated and pair N levels with the host matrix conduction and valence bands. In the SCGF approach, we include a full distribution of N states, with non-parabolic conduction and light-hole bands, and parabolic heavy-hole and spin-split-off bands. The comparison with experiments shows that the first model accounts for many features of the absorption spectrum in InGaNAs; including the full distribution of N states improves this agreement. Our calculated absorption spectra for GaNSb alloys predict the band edges correctly but show more features than are seen experimentally. This suggests the presence of more disorder in GaNSb alloys in comparison with InGaNAs.

Self-consistent Green's function method for dilute nitride conduction band structure.

We present a self-consistent Green's function (SCGF) approach for the Anderson many-impurity model to calculate the band dispersion and density of states near the conduction band edge in GaN(x)As(1-x) dilute nitride alloys. Two different models of the N states have been studied to investigate the band structure of these materials: (1) the two-band model, which assumes all N states have the same energy, EN; (2) a model which includes a full distribution of N states obtained by allowing for direct interaction between N sites. The density of states, projected onto extended and localised states, calculated by the SCGF two-band model, are in excellent agreement with those previously obtained in supercell calculations and reveal a gap in the density of states just above E(N), in contrast with the results of previous non-self-consistent Green's function calculations. However, including the full distribution of N states in a SCGF calculation removes this gap, in agreement with experiment.

Internal photoemission from plasmonic nanoparticles: comparison between surface and volume photoelectric effects.

We study the emission of photoelectrons from plasmonic nanoparticles into a surrounding matrix. We consider two mechanisms of electron emission from the nanoparticles--surface and volume ones--and use models for these two mechanisms which allow us to obtain analytical results for the photoelectron emission rate from a nanoparticle. Calculations have been carried out for a step potential at the surface of a spherical nanoparticle, and a simple model for the hot electron cooling has been used. We highlight the effect of the discontinuity of the dielectric permittivity at the nanoparticle boundary in the surface mechanism, which leads to a substantial (by ∼5 times) increase of the internal photoelectron emission rate from a nanoparticle compared to the case when such a discontinuity is absent. For a plasmonic nanoparticle, a comparison of the two photoeffect mechanisms was undertaken for the first time which showed that the surface photoeffect can in the general case be larger than the volume one, which agrees with the results obtained for a flat metal surface first formulated by Tamm and Schubin in their pioneering development of a quantum-mechanical theory of photoeffect in 1931. In accordance with our calculations, this possible predominance of the surface effect is based on two factors: (i) effective cooling of hot carriers during their propagation from the volume of the nanoparticle to its surface in the scenario of the volume mechanism and (ii) strengthening of the surface mechanism through the effect of the discontinuity of the dielectric permittivity at the nanoparticle boundary. The latter is stronger at relatively lower photon energies and correspondingly is more substantial for internal photoemission than for an external one. We show that in the general case, it is essential to take both mechanisms into account in the development of devices based on the photoelectric effect and when considering hot electron emission from a plasmonic nanoantenna.