Nonlinear Dynamics of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Abstract

Nonlinear dynamics of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) induced by optical injection, optical feedback, current modulation and mutual coupling is reviewed. Due to the surface emission and cylindrical symmetry VCSELs lack strong polarization anisotropy and may undergo polarization switching. Furthermore, VCSELs may emit light in multiple transverse modes. These VCSEL properties provide new features to the rich nonlinear dynamics induced by an external perturbation. We demonstrate for the case of orthogonal optical injection that new Hopf bifurcation on a two-polarization-mode solution delimits the injection locking region and that polarization switching and injection locking of first-order transverse mode lead to a new resonance tongue for large positive detunings. Similarly, the underlying polarization mode competition leads to chaoticlike behavior in case of gain switching and the presence of two transverse modes additionally reduces the possibility of regular dynamics. The bistable property of VCSEL makes it possible to investigate very fundamental problems of bistable systems with time-delay, such as the coherence resonance phenomenon. We also demonstrate that the synchronization quality between unidirectionally coupled VCSELs can be significantly enhanced when the feedback-induced chaos in the master laser involves both orthogonal LP fundamental transverse modes.

Dynamics of a Micro-VCSEL Operated in the Threshold Region Under Low-Level Optical Feedback

“…The noise and coherence properties, as well as the emitter's dynamical stability, are thus modified, with detailed features depending on whether the reinjected light fraction carries phase information [2], [3] (coherence length L c > L f , L f feedback length) or whether only the reinjected photon fraction counts [4], [5] (L c < L f ). The large number of investigations dedicated to the study of feedback is reviewed in different papers, depending on the scope: for instance, optical transmission systems [6] or understanding the dynamical features of semiconductor lasers with optical reinjection [7].…”

Polarization dynamics in VCSELs subject to optical frequency comb injection

“…16 In particular, VCSEL based-optical frequency comb has driven much attention recently due to its compactness, low energy consumption, possibility of integration, and mass production. Besides these advantages, VCSELs provide interesting nonlinear dynamics and polarization properties [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] linked to the cylindrical geometry of their cavity combined with the symmetry of the gain in the plane of quantum wells. The properties of the gain medium of the VCSELs give rise to a week polarization anisotropy that leads to emission and selection of two preferential orthogonal polarization directions.…”

Robust square-wave polarization switching in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

“…In particular, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) have been proposed as promising devices for implementing useful dynamics taking advantage of their polarization degree of freedom [9]. VCSELs present many advantages: single longitudinal and transverse (when the transverse size is properly sized) mode emission, circular output beam, and low cost of fabrication.…”