Axial-mode instability in tunable external-cavity semiconductor lasers

Zorabedian, P.

doi:10.1109/3.299486

Cited by 55 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In tendency, it was found that the transition between different EC-modes (with the same or a different polarization) could be understood by a preference for the mode with the lowest losses and hence highest intensity. Within the current intervals where one of the polarization modes is dominating, some regularities of the VCSEL behavior are similar to those for edge-emitting semiconductor lasers (see for example [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]). However, the abrupt switch-on at threshold obtained in the present work were not demonstrated for those lasers, possibly, since it is difficult to realize such a strong feedback in edge-emitting lasers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Abrupt turn-on and hysteresis in a VCSEL with frequency-selective optical feedback

Naumenko

Loĭko

Sondermann

et al. 2006

Optics Communications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emission characteristics of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) operated in a single-transverse mode and coupled to an external cavity with a diffraction grating as a frequency-selective element are analyzed experimentally, numerically and analytically. The experiments yield a rather abrupt turn-on of the VCSEL to a high-amplitude emission state and hysteresis phenomena. The experimental results are explained by numerical simulations and analytical calculations demonstrating the possibility of bistability between lasing and non-lasing states close to threshold. Hence, the scheme might be useful in all-optical photonic switching applications. A detailed bifurcation analysis near threshold is given by superimposing the numerical results with analytical steady-state curves. The mode selection and switching behavior obtained in the simulations can be interpreted from the point of view of the preference of states with the minimal total losses.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Abrupt turn-on and hysteresis in a VCSEL with frequency-selective optical feedback

Naumenko

Loĭko

Sondermann

et al. 2006

Optics Communications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This loss reduction can overcompensate the gain reduction and it was argued to provide a mechanism to amplify fluctuations and multilongitudinal mode operation. The possibility of regular, slightly anharmonic oscillations with FSF was noticed [77]. Four wave mixing mediated by phase-amplitude coupling will also contribute to phase locking as noted before for semiconductor lasers without a saturable absorber section [80,81], soliton formation in dielectric microcavities [82], and dissipative parametric instabilities [83].…”

Section: Prl 118 044102 (2017) P H Y S I C a L R E V I E W L E T T Ementioning

confidence: 53%

“…Looking for the nonlinear mechanisms destabilizing the cw solution, it was realized already some time ago [77,78] that a mechanism for nonlinear loss saturation providing passive mode locking [3], might be at work in semiconductor lasers with FSF due to the strong phaseamplitude coupling [79]. A reduction of carrier density leads to an increase in refractive index which shifts the resonance of the VCSEL further into resonance with the VBG thus reducing losses.…”

Section: Prl 118 044102 (2017) P H Y S I C a L R E V I E W L E T T Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Observation of mode-locked spatial laser solitons

Gustave¹,

Radwell²,

Toomey³

et al. 2017

2017 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe &Amp; European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A stable nonlinear wave packet, self-localized in all three dimensions, is an intriguing and much sought after object in nonlinear science in general and in nonlinear photonics in particular. We report on the experimental observation of mode-locked spatial laser solitons in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with frequency-selective feedback from an external cavity. These spontaneously emerging and long-term stable spatiotemporal structures have a pulse length shorter than the cavity round-trip time and may pave the way to completely independent cavity light bullets. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.044102 Wave packets in general, and light wave packets in particular, do not remain confined to small regions in space or time, but have the natural tendency to broaden. In space this is due to diffraction and in time this is due to dispersion, at least in a medium. Although localization can be achieved by confining potentials (e.g., optical fibers and photonic crystals in optics), it was always the vision of researchers to obtain confinement by self-action. This is why the concept of solitary waves, or, more loosely speaking, of solitons, received a lot of attention over the last decades. A soliton is a wave packet in which the tendency to broaden is balanced by nonlinearities. Spatial and temporal solitons in one or two dimensions are known in many fields of science [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. There was also early interest in three-dimensional (3D) self-localization, not least as a model for elementary particles [8]. However, early results [8] were discouraging as they indicated that stationary 3D localized states are not stable in a broad class of nonlinear wave equations. Significant interest continued in the theoretical and mathematical literature (e.g., Refs. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]), but to our knowledge there is only evidence for 3D self-organized periodic patterns [16], but not for 3D self-localization.In optics, spatiotemporal localization of light, i.e., a "bullet" of light being confined in all three spatial dimensions (and time, because it is propagating), was considered as early as 1990 in the framework of a 3D nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) [17], but realized to be unstable due to the well-known blow-up experienced for cubic nonlinearities in more than one dimension [18,19]. There were several proposals of how to stabilize multidimensional solitons [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Spatiotemporal compression [29][30][31], metastable 2D spatiotemporal solitons [24,32], and metastable discrete light bullets [33,34] were observed in pioneering experiments, the latter constituting the closest realization of a stable light bullet up until now. However, these quasiconservative bullets are only stable over a few characteristic lengths and are long-term unstable due to losses and Raman shifts.This makes it attractive to look for solitons in dissipative optical systems in which losses are compensated by driving [5]. Indeed solitons can exist in two dimensions with a cubic nonlinearity within ...

show abstract

“…Based on the complex field rate-equations, one can calculate the allowed maximum front facet reflection R f [24]. As the approximate result, R f has to be smaller than R ext , divided by the so-called linewidth-enhancement factor α [19], the latter being a semiconductor material property 1 ,…”

Section: Gain Sectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral control of diode lasers using external waveguide circuits

Oldenbeuving¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cover: False-color Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) picture of the electrical wires and heaters on the optical waveguide chip, which is used as external cavity for diode laser control (see Chapter 2). Because the SEM is zoomed-out very far, electron beam distortion is caused by the SEM's focusing magnet. This produces the fish-eye effect in the picture. The research presented in this thesis was carried out at the Laser Physics and Nonlinear Optics group, Department of Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW, which is part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and partly funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (project number 10442). To my loving parents. SummaryIn this Thesis we investigate spectral control of diode lasers using external waveguide circuits. The purpose of this work is to investigate such external control for providing a new class of diode lasers with technologically interesting properties, such as a narrow spectral bandwidth and spectrally tunable output in a hybrid integrated format. These lasers are of interest in a variety of scientific and industrial applications. To give a state-of-the-art example, we consider optical beam forming networks, that can be used in phased antenna arrays for satellite communications. These type of networks require spectral tuning and a narrow laser bandwidth to increase the spatial resolution of the antenna's signal [1][2][3]. In such microwave photonics applications, the option for an integration of entire arrays of lasers and waveguide circuits is required, as well as the option of multiple injection locking for a control of the optical phase of the output.Another example is the simultaneous spectral and phase control of entire arrays of diode lasers. The superimposed output may offer the generation of trains of ultrashort pulses, which is equivalent with the generation of a phase locked comb of equidistant frequencies. Such sources can, for example, be of interest for high-speed optical data storage.In the first chapter, we discuss the theoretical design considerations and spectral properties for a waveguide based external cavity semiconductor laser (WECSL). The essential requirements to realize single-frequency operation with a WECSL are analyzed. We investigated the required properties for the two main components that comprise the WECSL, which are the semiconductor gain chip and the frequency selective waveguide circuit that provides the external feedback. The specific implementation of a highly frequency selective feedback via two micro ring resonators (MRRs), based on available low loss Si 3 N 4 /SiO 2 waveguide technology, is described in more detail. The values for the design parameters in this implementation indicate that it is possible to obtain single-frequency oscillation across the entire telecommunication C-band (1530-1565 nm). Furthermore, we expect a narrow optica...

show abstract

Axial-mode instability in tunable external-cavity semiconductor lasers

Cited by 55 publications

References 29 publications

Abrupt turn-on and hysteresis in a VCSEL with frequency-selective optical feedback

Abrupt turn-on and hysteresis in a VCSEL with frequency-selective optical feedback

Observation of mode-locked spatial laser solitons

Spectral control of diode lasers using external waveguide circuits

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About