The characterization of material and structural properties is essential in the development of high-performance optoelectronics devices. The gain and spontaneous emission of semiconductor emitters are intrinsically related, and knowing one determines the other. In this paper, we report on a comparison between the measured and calculated spontaneous emission spectra of complex semiconductor structures that were developed in our laboratory. Transversely emitted spontaneous emission spectra over a wide range of carrier densities have been obtained for GRIN-SCH-MQW InxGa1-xAsyP1-y structures consisting of three tensile and three compressive wells. Information from these measurements and materials parameters were used to estimate carrier density for each well and subsequently used in the calculation of the emission spectra. The theoretical results were obtained by calculating the spontaneous emission rate for each well independently and then by summing over the six wells. We first calculate the band structure from a 6x6 Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian and find the spontaneous emission rate using the carrier density obtained from experimental measurements. A comparison between the Markovian (Lorentzian) and non-Markovian (Gaussian) line shape functions is established, considering the bandgap renormalization. We show that the Gaussian broadening function gives better agreement with the experimental data.
The importance of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) as key components in optical communications and integrated optics, covering a wide large of applications for the 1550- and 1300-nm optical windows, has grown in recent years. Polarization sensitivity of the optical of gain in SOAs is an issue that needs to be addressed to improve their performance and enhance their suitability for monolithic integration. We report on optical gain spectra measurements of polarization-insensitive SOAs that have been designed in our laboratory. Polarization insensitivity has been achieved employing a combination of both tensile and compressively strained quantum wells in the active layer of an InGaAsP/InP - based device. The SOA chips were characterized with a continuous wave input signal of a tunable laser at wavelengths between 1430 and 1600 nm. The gain saturation properties were experimentally investigated in order to determine how well the amplifier maintains its polarization insensitivity in the saturation regime. The experimental results were compared with theoretical values. The optical gain dependence on the current density and the length of the amplifier has been studied. The calculated device gain based on amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectra measurements was compared with the amplified signal measurements. Broad area lasers with lengths ranging from 500 to 1500 μm were also fabricated and tested to check the material quality and obtain information about the optical gain uniformity. Our amplifiers have an unsaturated gain of 22 dB and in the saturation regime the maximum observed gain difference between the TE and the TM mode gains was 0.5 dB within a spectral width of 60 nm. The measured 3 dB saturation output power was 6 mW.
We study the use of multi-section distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with integrated external cavities for the optical generation of millimeter-wave signals. Using a longitudinally-dependent time-domain model, we obtain the spectral characteristics of three basic designs through FFT analysis of the steady-state response. We then compare the stability and tunability of these devices and show the superiority of gain-coupled lasers with integrated active feedback.
We use a quasi-three-dimensional numerical model combining finite
element calculations in the x - y plane and a longitudinal optical model for the design and the simulation of wide band superluminescent InGaAlAs/InP light emitting diodes (SLEDs). It is shown that by using an active region with a continuously varying composition, bulk devices can provide singlelobe spectra of more than 100 nm full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) and output powers of a few tens of mW. This is broader than multiple quantum-well (MQW) device singlelobe spectra which do not exceed ~70 nm FWHM in the same power range.
The degradation of the side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) in an integrated DFB laser and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) cavity is investigated. A numerical model combining finite element calculations in the x-y plane and a longitudinal model based on the Green's function approach is used for that purpose. An expression is derived that expresses the degradation of the SMSR in the case of a perfectly AR-coated SOA facet. It is shown that the ASE backcoupling can have dramatic effects and degrade and SMSR of single-mode devices to unacceptable levels.
The effects of using multiple electrodes to reduce longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) in a complex-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) laser are investigated. Using a time-domain model, we show that LSHB can be compensated by injecting more current into the center of the device. We also find that differntial current injection has an effect on the threshold current and quantum efficiency of the DFB laser. Spectral characteristics are obtained by fast Fourier transform of the time-domain data and we show that inhomogeneous current injection can also have an effect on the laser linewidth.
Gain crosstalk in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) developed for WDM networks has in the past been a limiting factor in SOA deployment. One recently-proposed solution is the gain-clamped SOA, where the amplifier gain is stabilized in a complex cross-cavity configuration. In this paper, we describe the design of conventional SOAs for low multi-channel gain crosstalk (GXT). Specifically, we compare alternatives for reducing crosstalk, including reductions in SOA length, current density, and the number of quantum wells. Numerical modeling shows the reduction in well number to have the largest impact; experimental result for a 4-well device show 2-channel GXT of -20 dB at a modulation frequency of 10 GHz, a fiber-coupled output power of +5 dBm (+2 dBm per channel), and a module gain of 15 dB.
The problem of the linewidth degradation in systems using
distributed-feedback lasers together with strained-layer multi-quantum-well semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) is examined. A numerical model combining finite element calculations in the transverse x-y plane and a longitudinal model based on the Green's function method is used for that purpose. Simple expressions for the linewidth in the case of AR-coated SOA output facets are derived and simulation results are given in the case of an output facet with a non-vanishing reflectivity. It is found that optimal conditions for a narrow linewidth can be determined.
A self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo calculation of steady state carrier distribution functions in InGaAsP-based multiple-quantum-well lasers is performed. The results are compared to those obtained with a drift-diffusion classical simulator. The outcome of the two methods is found to be similar. Still, the Monte Carlo approach offers much more insight into several issues such as the energy distribution of carriers and the effects of particle-particle interactions.
A comprehensive semiconductor laser model is used to analyze the first electrical derivative characteristic of long wavelength MQW semiconductor lasers. It is found that the charge neutrality condition and the continuity of the quasi- Fermi levels, usually assumed in the rate equation approach, need not be respected. The first electrical derivative characteristics of abrupt and GRINSCH MQW structures are presented. The effects of doping in the active region on the optical gain and on the first electrical derivative characteristic are also studied.
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