Fermi's golden rule, nonequilibrium electron capture from the wetting layer, and the modulation response in P-doped quantum-dot lasers

Electron capture from a quantum dot's (QDs) wetting layer is described by Fermi's golden rule that relates the transition rate to the density of final states. The wetting layer capture causes a brief nonequilibrium electron distribution between the QD ground state and its wetting layer states and can slow a QD laser's modulation response. This effect is studied for time constants and capture conditions relevant to self-organized InAs QDs. It is shown that even a moderately fast electron capture consistent with present low temperature measurements can limit a QD laser's modulation speed.     

Analysis of the Linewidth-Enhancement Factor of Long-Wavelength Tunnel-Injection Quantum-Dot Lasers

We have studied the linewidth-enhancement factor of 1.3-mum tunnel-injection quantum-dot (QD) lasers utilizing a rate-equation model that takes into account the injection of electrons directly into the QDs from a coupled quantum well, the presence of wetting layer states, and nonequilibrium carrier relaxation in the QDs. In a conventional separate confinement heterostructure QD laser, plasma effects, which result from a large portion of the injected carriers preferably occupying the barrier and wetting layer states, largely determine the values of the linewidth-enhancement factor and lead to a strong dependence of the linewidth-enhancement factor on injection current. In a tunnel-injection QD laser, however, due to the injection of "cold" electrons directly into the lasing states of the QDs, both the values of linewidth-enhancement factor and the dependence on injection current are substantially reduced. The calculated linewidth-enhancement factors of conventional separate confinement heterostructure and tunnel-injection QD lasers are in excellent agreement with reported experimental values. Our analysis elucidates the role of tunnel injection in achieving near-zero alpha-parameter, which would be important in the design of chirp-free high-speed QD lasers     

多层In_(0.55)Al_(0.45)As/A_(0.5)Ga_(0.5)As量子点的变温光致发光研究

测量了自组织多层In0.55Al0.45As/Al0.5Ga0.5As量子点的变温光致发光谱,同时观察到来自浸润层和量子点的发光,首次直接观察到了浸润层和量子点之间的载流子热转移.分析发光强度随温度的变化发现浸润层发光的热淬灭包括两个过程:低温时浸润层的激子从局域态热激发到扩展态,然后被量子点俘获;而温度较高时则通过势垒层的X能谷淬灭.利用速率方程模拟了激子在浸润层和量子点间的转移过程,计算结果与实验符合得很好     

Below‐bandgap absorption in InAs/GaAs self‐assembled quantum dot solar cells

A new approach to derive the below‐bandgap absorption in InAs/GaAs self‐assembled quantum dot (QD) devices using room temperature external quantum efficiency measurement results is presented. The significance of incorporating an extended Urbach tail absorption in analyzing QD devices is demonstrated. This tail is used to evaluate the improvement in the photo‐generated current. The wetting layer and QD absorption contributions are separated from the tail absorption. Several absorption peaks due to QD excited states and potentially different size QDs are observed. An inhomogeneous broadening of 25 meV arising from the variance in the size of QDs is derived. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical Analysis of the Frequency Chirp in Quantum-Dot Semiconductor Lasers

We present a numerical model for the analysis of the chirp dynamics of quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor laser under large signal current modulation. The model is based on the multipopulation rate equation formalism, and it includes all the peculiar characteristics of the active QD material such as the inhomogeneous broadening of the gain spectrum, the presence of an excited state confined in the QDs and the presence of nonconfined states due to the wetting layer and the barrier. In this paper the model is applied to the analysis of the chirp of two QD single-mode lasers emitting from the ground state and from the excited state, respectively. In order to make comparisons of the chirp in various operating conditions, we define some equivalent parameters for quantifying the adiabatic and transient contributions to the chirp. These parameters are then used to analyze the chirp as function of the bias current, of the modulation depth and of the modulation frequency. All the various simulation results show that the carrier accumulation in the QD states, poorly involved in the stimulated emission process and the carrier dynamics in these states, can cause a nonzero chirp under current modulation even for the ideal condition of zero linewidth enhancement factor (or -parameter) at the laser threshold.     

Rate equation model for nonequilibrium operating conditions in aself-organized quantum-dot laser

A nonequilibrium rate equation model is presented and analyzed for the self-organized quantum dot (QD) laser. The model assumes the QD zero dimensional levels are coupled to a thermal electron distribution in the wetting layer through reservoir rate equations. By including the energy dependence of the wetting layer reservoir versus temperature, the model accounts for the spectral narrowing of the gain with increasing temperature, the negative temperature coefficient of the lasing threshold, and a reduction of the spectral hole burning with increasing temperature, all found experimentally in QD lasers     

InAs/GaAs自组织量子点激发态的激射

将覆盖层引入生长停顿的量子点结构作为激光器有源区来研究量子点激光器受激发射机制 .由于强烈的能带填充效应 ,光致发光谱和电致发光谱中观察到对应于量子点激发态跃迁的谱峰 ,大激发时其强度超过基态跃迁对应的谱峰 .最后激发态跃迁达到阈值条件 ,激射能量比结构相似但不含量子点的激光器低 ,表明量子点激光器中首先实现受激发射是量子点的激发态     

InAs/GaAs自组织量子点激发态的激射

将覆盖层引入生长停顿的量子点结构作为激光器有源区来研究量子点激光器受激发射机制．由于强烈的能带填充效应, 光致发光谱和电致发光谱中观察到对应于量子点激发态跃迁的谱峰,大激发时其强度超过基态跃迁对应的谱峰．最后激发态跃迁达到阈值条件, 激射能量比结构相似但不含量子点的激光器低,表明量子点激光器中首先实现受激发射是量子点的激发态．     

Carrier Dynamics of Quantum-Dot, Quantum-Dash, and Quantum-Well Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers Operating at 1.55 μm

We assess the influence of the degree of quantum confinement on the carrier recovery times in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) through an experimental comparative study of three amplifiers, one InAs-InGaAsP-InP quantum dot (0-D), one InAs-InAlGaAs-InP quantum dash (1-D), and one InGaAsP-In-GaAsP-InP quantum well (2-D), all of which operate near 1.55-mum wavelengths. The short-lived (around 1 ps) and long-lived (up to 2 ns) amplitude and phase dynamics of the three devices are characterized via heterodyne pump-probe measurements. The quantum-dot device is found to have the shortest long-lived gain recovery (~80 ps) as well as gain and phase changes indicative of a smaller linewidth enhancement factor, making it the most promising for high-bit-rate applications. The quantum-dot amplifier is also found to have reduced ultrafast transients, due to a lower carrier density in the dots. The quantum-dot gain saturation characteristics and temporal dynamics also provide insight into the nature of the dot energy-level occupancy and the interactions of the dot states with the wetting layer.     

Nonlinear gain dynamics in quantum-dot optical amplifiers and itsapplication to optical communication devices

Ultrafast gain dynamics in quantum-dot (QD) optical amplifiers has been studied. It was found that there are at least three nonlinear processes, which are attributed to carrier relaxation to the ground states, phonon scattering, and carrier capture from the wetting layers into the QDs. The relevant time constants were evaluated to be ~90 fs, ~260 fs, and ~3 ps, respectively, under a 50-mA bias condition. The dephasing time was evaluated to be ~85 fs. The third-order optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) has been evaluated by means of both nonlinear transmission and four-wave mixing experiments. The results show that the nonlinearity expressed by χ⁽³⁾/g₀ is quite similar to that of bulk and quantum wells, which can be explained by similar relaxation times. Applications to optical communication devices are also discussed     

Ultrafast gain recovery and modulation limitations inself-assembled quantum-dot devices

Measurements of ultrafast gain recovery in self-assembled InAs quantum-dot (QD) amplifiers are explained by a comprehensive numerical model. The QD excited state carriers are found to act as a reservoir for the optically active ground state carriers resulting in an ultrafast gain recovery as long as the excited state is well populated. However, when pulses are injected into the device at high-repetition frequencies, the response of a QD amplifier is found to be limited by the wetting-layer dynamics     

Specific Features of XGM in QD-SOA

The peculiarities of a cross-gain modulation (XGM) in quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifier (QD SOAs) related to the inhomogeneous broadening are theoretically studied. We have solved numerically the electron rate equations for the QD SOA model including an excited state, a ground state and a continuum wetting layer (WL), and the propagation equations for the pump and the signal lightwaves. It is shown that XGM in QD SOA is possible for a comparatively large detuning close to the inhomogeneous broadening because in such a case QDs with substantially different resonant frequencies interact directly through WL.     

Immobilization of Quantum Dots in Nanostructured Porous Silicon Films: Characterizations and Signal Amplification for Dual‐Mode Optical Biosensing

Highly sensitive dual‐mode labeled detection of biotin in well‐characterized porous silicon (PSi) films using colloidal quantum dots (QDs) as signal amplifiers are demonstrated. Optimization of the PSi platform for targeted QD infiltration and immobilization is carried out by characterizing and tuning the porosity, film depth, and pore size. Binding events of target QD‐biotin conjugates with streptavidin probes immobilized on the pore walls are monitored by reflective interferometric spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements. QD labeling of the target biotin molecules enables detection based on a distinct fluorescent signal as well as a greater than 5‐fold enhancement in the measured spectral reflectance fringe shift and a nearly three order of magnitude improvement in the detection limit for only 6% surface area coverage of QDs inside the porous matrix. Utilizing the QD signal amplifiers, an exceptional biotin detection limit of ≈6 fg mm^?2 is demonstrated with sub‐fg mm^?2 detection limits achievable.     

量子点阵列光致荧光谱温度依赖性研究

多模量子点阵列的光致荧光(PL)光谱的温度依赖性研究对于实现高效的量子点光电器件有着非常重要的意义.利用速率方程模型模拟不同密度量子点阵列中的载流子动力学过程.研究表明,高密度量子点阵列中不同尺寸量子点族的PL强度表现不同的温度依赖关系;而低密度量子点阵列不同点族PL强度均随温度衰减.高密度量子点阵列中,载流子被热激发到浸润层后,部分地被大量子点再俘获,即在量子点族间转移;低密度量子点阵列中不同量子点族间的载流子转移受到限制.不同量子点族光致荧光强度比的最大值强烈地依赖于量子点的激活能差.     

Quantum-Dot Semiconductor Mode-Locked Lasers and Amplifiers at 40 GHz

Mode-locked lasers (MLLs) and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) based on quantum-dot (QD) gain material will impact the development of next-generation networks, such as the 100 Gb/s Ethernet. MLLs presently consisting of a monolithic two-section device already generate picosecond pulse trains at 40 GHz. Temperature dependence of pulsewidth for p-doped devices, a detailed chirp analysis that is a prerequisite for optical time-division multiplexing applications, and data transmission experiments are presented in this paper. QD SOAs show superior performance for linear amplification as well as nonlinear signal processing. Using cross-gain modulation for wavelength conversion, QD SOAs are shown to have a small signal bandwidth beyond 40 GHz under high-bias current injection. This makes QD SOAs much superior to conventional SOAs.      

Numerical Analysis of Gain Saturation, Noise Figure, and Carrier Distribution for Quantum-Dot Semiconductor-Optical Amplifiers

The gain saturation behaviors and noise figure are numerically analyzed for quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers (QD-SOAs). The carrier and photon distributions in the longitudinal direction as well as the photon energy dependent facet reflectivity are accounted in the rate equations, which are solved with output amplified spontaneous emission spectrum as iterative variables. The longitudinal distributions of the occupation probabilities and spectral-hole burning are presented for electrons in the excited and ground states of quantum dots. The saturation output power 19.7 dBm and device gain 20.6 dB are obtained for a QD-SOA with the cavity length of 6 mm at the bias current of 500 mA. The influences of the electron intradot relaxation time and the QD capture time on the gain spectrum are simulated with the relaxation time of 1, 30, and 60 ps and capture time of 1, 5, and 10 ps. The noise figure as low as 3.5 dB is expected due to the strong polarization sensitive spontaneous emission. The characteristics of gain saturation and noise figure versus input signal power for QD-SOAs are similar to that of semiconductor linear optical amplifiers with gain clamping by vertical laser fields.     

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence of QD arrays

It is essentially important to understand the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence of multimodal quantum dot (QD) arrays for the realization of efficient photonic devices. In this paper, the dynamics processes of different density multimodal QD arrays were fitted by using the rate equation model. It is shown that, in high density QD arrays, the intensity of photoluminescence of different QD families has different temperature dependence, and the intensity of photoluminescence is quenched as the temperature increases in low density QD arrays. In high density QD arrays, as the temperature increases, the carriers will be thermally excited into the wetting layer from QDs, and then some of them will be recaptured by the big scale QDs; carrier coupling takes place between the different QD families, while in low density QD arrays, the carrier transfer between different QD families will be limited. Temperature dependence of the maximum of the ratio of photoluminescence intensity of different QD families strongly depends on the difference of thermal activation energies.     

High-Speed Mode-Locked Quantum-Dot Lasers and Optical Amplifiers

Recent results on GaAs-based high-speed mode-locked quantum-dot (QD) lasers and optical amplifiers with an operation wavelength centered at 1290 nm are reviewed and their complex dependence on device and operating parameters is discussed on the basis of experimental data obtained with integrated fiber-based QD device modules. Hybrid and passive mode locking of QD lasers with repetition frequencies between 5 and 80 GHz, sub-ps pulse widths, ultralow timing jitter down to 190 fs, high output peak power beyond 1 W, and suppression of Q-switching are reported, showing the large potential of this class of devices for O-band optical fiber applications. Results on cw and dynamical characterization of QD semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are presented. QD amplifiers exhibit a close-to-ideal noise figure of 4 dB and demonstrate multiwavelength amplification of three coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) wavelengths simultaneously. Modelling of QD polarization dependence shows that it should be possible to achieve polarization insensitive SOAs using vertically coupled QD stacks. Amplification of ultrafast 80 GHz optical combs and bit-error-free data signal amplification at 40 Gb/s with QD SOAs show the potential for their application in future 100 Gb Ethernet networks.     

Self-Consistent Analysis of Carrier Confinement and Output Power in 1.3-$mu{hbox {m}}$ InAs–GaAs Quantum-Dot VCSELs

A self-consistent model comprising rate equations and thermal conduction equation is used to analyze the influence of self-heating on the carrier occupation, quantum efficiency, and output power of 1.3- $mu{hbox {m}}$ InAs–GaAs quantum dot (QD) vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). The simulation results show that the poor hole confinement in QDs is due to the thin wetting layer, and increase in QD density and layer number can significantly improve the self-heating effect and quantum efficiency of the device. The output power of the QD VCSEL is mainly determined by the quantum efficiency. High output power can be achieved by the high number of QD layers and QD density. However, there exists an optimized number of QD layers ($sim$15) to achieve the highest output power.      

On the noise properties of linear and nonlinear quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers: the impact of inhomogeneously broadened gain and fast carrier dynamics

We present a detailed analytical model describing the noise properties of quantum-dot (QD) optical amplifiers operating in the linear and saturated regimes. We describe the dependence of the optical noise on the main physical parameters characterizing the QD gain medium as well as on operating conditions. The optical noise at the amplifier output shows a broad-band spectrum with an incoherent spectral hole due to the gain inhomogeneity. A coherent spectral dip stemming from noise-signal nonlinear interactions is superimposed on that broad-band spectrum. The broad-band incoherent component is also calculated using an approximate model which makes use of an equivalent inhomogeneous population inversion factor. The validity of the approximation is examined in detail. We also calculate the electrical relative intensity noise and observe a spectral hole corresponding to the spectral shape of the optical noise. The most important characteristics of the optical and electrical noise spectra are determined by the degree of inhomogeneous broadening and by the fast carrier dynamics of QD amplifiers. The fast dynamics causes a very wide noise spectral hole which has important potential consequences for detection of fast data and for all optical signal processing.