Measurement of gain saturation coefficients in strained-layermultiple quantum-well distributed feedback lasers

Gain saturation coefficients of unstrained- and strained-layer multiple-quantum-well lasers were measured experimentally. These coefficients were higher in lasers that had compressive strain in their active-layer wells: 2.45×10^-17 cm³ with unstrained wells and 12.6×10^-17 cm³ with strained wells. The higher gain saturation coefficient in lasers with strained active-layer wells is related to their higher linear TE mode gain coefficient. The linearity factor (K factor) between a laser's damping constant and the square of the laser's resonant frequency decreased slightly with the introduction of the strain in the laser's active layer wells. This factor, however, took the value of about 0.2×10^-9 s for each of these lasers     

Measurements of the polarization dependence of the gain of strained multiple quantum well InGaAs-InP lasers

The polarization-dependent gain spectra of both tensile and compressive strain multiple-quantum-well (MQW) In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As-InP lasers in a relatively large strain regime are presented. The results show that MQW lasers with tensile strain and an In concentration as low as 43% in the wells lase in a pure transverse magnetic (TM) mode rather than a transverse electric (TE) mode with a gain difference of 60-70 cm/sup -1/ at all the injection currents investigated. The peak gain for the TE mode is shifted toward shorter wavelengths from that of the TM mode, indicating that the emission is principally due to light hole-electron transition. The differential gain of the TM mode is about 1.5 times higher than that of the TE mode operation. Opposite phenomena were observed in the compressive strained MQW lasers.<>     

High-performance 1.5 μm wavelength InGaAs-InGaAsP strainedquantum well lasers and amplifiers

Improved performance of 1.5-μm wavelength lasers and laser amplifiers using strained In_xGa_1-xAs-InGaAsP quantum well devices is reported. The device structures fabricated to study the effects of strained quantum wells on their performance are described. These devices showed TM mode gain, demonstrating the strain-induced heavy-hole-light hole reversal in the valence band. Lasers using these tensile strained quantum wells show higher and narrower gain spectra and laser amplifiers have a higher differential gain compared to compressively strained quantum well devices. Consequently, the tensile strained quantum well lasers show the smallest linewidth enhancement factor α=1.5 (compression α=2.5) and the lowest K-factor of 0.22 ns (compression K=0.58 ns), resulting in an estimated intrinsic 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 40 GHz (compression 15 GHz)     

Length dependence of threshold current in multiple quantum welllasers

The threshold current density of single-quantum-well lasers increases at short laser lengths more rapidly than for multiple-well lasers. Using microscopic gain calculations, these differences are shown to be a natural consequence of the nonlinear gain/current relation associated with high electron concentrations in thin wells. The threshold current shows a minimum that depends on facet reflectivities and number of wells     

Modeling of optical gain in InGaN-AlGaN andInxGa1-xN-InyGa1-yNquantum-well lasers

This paper presents computations of the optical gain in In_x Ga_1-xN-In_yGa_1-yN and InGaN-AlGaN quantum-well lasers involving the contributions of excitons as well as free carriers transitions. The behavior of optical gain in GaN based quantum wells due to excitonic transitions is quite similar to that of ZnCdSe-ZnSSe system, as the magnitude of the exciton binding energies (~30 meV) is comparable. The model compares the exciton emission energy with the experimental data reported on In_0.22Ga_0.78N-In_0.06Ga_0.94N multiple quantum wells as well as in GaN layers (cubic grown on 3C SiC), including the effect of strain induced band gap changes. The optical gain is also computed as a function of the injection current density for the InGaN-AlGaN multiple quantum-well lasers. The model evaluates the feasibility of obtaining GaN based blue and ultraviolet lasers. It is shown that the excitonic transitions reduce the threshold current density which is adversely affected by the presence of dislocations and other defects     

外腔面发射激光器自发辐射谱的热特性

热效应是限制外腔面发射激光器(VECSEL)输出功率和光束质量的主要原因。为了优化VECSEL增益芯片有源区量子阱的设计,降低激光器的热效应,提高斜效率和输出功率,采用光致荧光谱方法,对设计波长980nm VECSEL自发辐射谱的热特性进行了实验研究。取得了不同热沉温度下边发射和面发射谱随温度的变化数据。结果表明,反映有源区量子阱自身特性的边发射谱峰值波长随温度升高的红移速率是0.5nm/K,而受到增益芯片多层结构调制的面发射谱峰值波长随温度升高的红移速率只有0.1nm/K;由于受到VECSEL增益芯片中微腔的限制,面发射谱分离为多个模式,分别与微腔的腔模对应。可见对量子阱的发射波长及微腔腔长做预偏置优化处理,可以显著改善激光器的输出性能。     

Experimental and theoretical analysis of the carrier distributionin asymmetric multiple quantum-well InGaAsP lasers

The authors present an experimental and theoretical analysis of the carrier distribution in multiple quantum-well (MQW) lasers and the effect of this carrier distribution on the gain of wells at different locations in the active region. An experimental technique using mirror image asymmetric multiple quantum-well (AMQW) lasers is described which provides quantitative information on the degree to which the carrier distribution affects the gain of quantum wells (QWs) in the active region. A gain model for AMQW lasers is developed and used to explain some important characteristics of AMQW devices. A rate equation model is presented which incorporates the effects of fields across the p-i-n junction active region. The model is able to predict experimental results measured from thirteen AMQW laser structures to within experimental uncertainty     

Resonance frequency, damping, and differential gain in 1.5 μmmultiple quantum-well lasers

A systematic investigation is presented into the intrinsic frequency response of quantum-well lasers, using parasitic-free relative intensity noise (RIN) measurements. There is shown to be a strong dependence of the resonance frequency on the number of quantum wells in the active region, originating from variations both in internal losses and in differential gain. The differential gain is found to have values higher than in corresponding bulk lasers, but only in devices with a large number of wells. The damping is also found to vary in a manner consonant with the changes in differential gain; however, comparison with bulk lasers indicates substantially stronger gain suppression in the quantum-well lasers studied     

Optical and RF characteristics of short-cavity-lengthmultiquantum-well strained-layer lasers

The optical and RF characteristics of short-cavity, strained-layer In_0.3Ga_0.7As graded-index separate-confinement-heterostructure (GRINSCH) multiple-quantum-well ridge waveguide lasers are described. Short-cavity-length strained-layer lasers with four In_0.3Ga_0.7As quantum wells have been fabricated using chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE). These lasers have a very low K factor of 0.14 ns and a high differential gain of 1.1×10^-15 cm². A 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 23.5 GHz has been measured on a 50 μm cavity-length device. This is the highest reported bandwidth for a quantum well laser     

Gain and carrier lifetime measurements in AlGaAs multiquantum well lasers

We have measured the gain and the carrier lifetime at threshold in shallow proton stripe AlGaAs multiquantum well lasers with several different active layer structures. The lasers studied had active layers with two wells, four wells, six wells, and the modified multiquantum well. The net gainGis found to vary almost linearly with the injection currentIfor all the laser structures studied. The slopedG/dIis largest for the modified multiquantum well (MMQW) laser which is consistent with the observed lowest threshold current of these devices. We find that the carrier density at threshold for the MMQW laser is about a factor of 4 lower than that for a single quantum well laser. Thus, the effect of a nonradiative mechanism (e.g., Auger effect) which varies superlinearly with the injected carrier density is considerably reduced in MMQW lasers compared to that in single quantum well (SQW) lasers or the conventional double heterostructure lasers. The reduced threshold carrier density of the MMQW lasers has important implications for high temperature performance of lasers fabricated from the InGaAsP/InP material systems which are believed to have nonradiative mechanisms that vary superlinearly with carrier density, particularly for those laser structures for which the high temperature operation is not limited by leakage current.     

Empirical formulas for design and optimization of 1.5 μmInGaAs/InGaAsP strained-quantum-well lasers

The effects of strain and number of quantum wells on optical gain, differential gain, and nonlinear gain coefficient in 1.55-μm InGaAs/InGaAsP strained-quantum-well lasers are theoretically investigated. Well-approximated empirical expressions are proposed to model these effects. Using these formulas, one can easily and accurately predict the performance of a laser diode for a given structure. Therefore, these empirical formulas are useful tools for design and optimization of strained quantum well lasers. As a general design guideline revealed from the empirical formulas, the threshold current is reduced with the compressive strain, and the modulation bandwidth is most efficiently increased with the number of wells     

1.3 μm GaAs-based quantum well and quantum dot lasers: Comparative analysis

New generation of long-wavelength (1.3 μm) GaAs based lasers is discussed. The modal gain, threshold current, quantum efficiency characteristics and temperature stability of lasers based on InGaAsn quantum wells and InAs/InGaAs quantum dots are compared.     

Pure effects of strain in strained-layer multiple-quantum-welllasers

The pure effects of strain in strained-layer InGaAs-InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well (MQW) Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers operating in the 1.5 μm region are measured separately from the quantum effects by using lasers whose active layer wells have the same thickness but different amounts of strain. The gain peak wavelengths of transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes and the difference between TE- and TM-mode gain peak wavelengths increase when compressive strain is introduced. The differential gain coefficient and the gain saturation coefficient of the lasers are determined by measuring relative intensity noise (RIN) spectra and are found to increase with increasing compressive strain. The K factors of the lasers are determined from the relationship between the damping constant and the resonant frequency square     

Optical gain in GaAs/GaAlAs graded-index separate-confinementsingle-quantum-well heterostructures

Optical model gain in both the TE and TM polarizations of graded-index separate-confinement single-quantum-well heterostructure lasers measured at various levels of injection current on samples with different quantum-well widths is discussed. Lasers with wide quantum wells (⩾120 Å) have emission and gain spectra which exhibit two peaks, caused by the n=1 and n=2 subband transitions. With ordinary cavity parameters, the saturation gain of the n=1 subband transitions is lower than the cavity loss of the laser, and the lasers always lase at the n=2 transitions. Reducing the quantum-well width increases the saturation gain of the n=1 transitions enough to allow lasing from them, even in cases of higher cavity loss. Further, for a fixed cavity loss, reduction of the quantum-well width decreases the threshold current density for n =1 lasing transitions, while that for n=2 lasing increases. The superlinear increase of the material gain with the decrease of the well width reduces the minimum cavity length for n =1 subband lasing. Narrower quantum wells with higher mirror reflectivity allow shorter cavity lengths while retaining n=1 lasing, resulting in low threshold current     

Competing effects of well-barrier hole burning and nonlinear gainon the resonance characteristics of quantum-well lasers

The effects of the quantum capture and release of carriers from quantum wells (QWs) on the resonance response of QW lasers are investigated from a model of well-barrier hole burning with built-in nonlinear gain. Significant similarities and contrasts with the conventional single-mode model are noted in both the large-signal transient behavior and in the small-signal resonance characteristics. The competition between well-barrier hole burning and nonlinear gain is explored by studying of time responses, phase portraits, frequency transfer functions; and contour maps of constant resonance frequency, damping rate, and 3-dB bandwidth in the parameter spaces defined by the nonlinear gain coefficient versus the ratio of relaxation times for capture and release of carriers by the wells. A systematic treatment of the well-barrier model is presented along with these predicted dynamical trends     

Well-barrier hole burning in quantum well lasers

The reported wide variations in the damping behavior of quantum well lasers are explained by a novel theory of nonlinear gain, well-barrier hole burning. In the model a spatial hole develops perpendicular to the active region involving carriers moving between the wells and the barrier/confinement layers. The modified rate equations describing well-barrier hole burning are presented. An analytical approximation for the nonlinear gain coefficient epsilon , valid only under certain conditions, is given. A numerical solution is given for the case of high photon densities and large capture-times. It is shown how well-barrier hole burning explains the measurements of the increased spontaneous emission from the barrier/confinement region above threshold. Various higher-than-expected damping rates reported in some quantum well lasers are shown to be consistent with the model.<>     

Gain saturation coefficients of strained-layer multiple quantum-well distributed feedback lasers

The gain saturation coefficients were measured for strained and unstrained multiple quantum-well distributed feedback (MQW-DFB) lasers. The gain saturation coefficient depends on the deviation of the laser's transverse-magnetic (TM) mode gain peak wavelength from its transverse-electric (TE) mode gain peak wavelength delta lambda , which is related to the strain on the active-layer wells. The gain saturation coefficient epsilon increased with increasing compressed strain on the active-layer wells. The coefficient epsilon of the unstrained MQW DFB laser with a wavelength deviation delta lambda of -350 AA was 2.45*10/sup -17/ cm/sup 3/, and epsilon increased up to 12.6*10/sup -17/ cm/sup 3/ in the SL-MQW DFB laser with a wavelength difference delta lambda of -890 AA.<>     

Low threshold current density 1.3-μm strained-layer quantum-welllasers using n-type modulation doping

We have developed 1.3 μm n-type modulation-doped strained-layer quantum-well lasers. Modulation-doped lasers with long cavities (low threshold gain) exhibit much lower threshold current densities than conventional lasers with undoped barrier layers. The lowest threshold current density we obtained was 250 A/cm² for 1500 μm long lasers with five quantum wells. The estimated threshold current density for an infinite cavity length was 38 A/m²/well. This is the lowest value for InGaAsP-InGaAsP and InGaAs-InGaAsP quantum well lasers to our knowledge     

Gain and intervalence band absorption in quantum-well lasers

The linear gain and the intervalence band absorption are analyzed for quantum-well lasers. First, we analyze the electronic dipole moment in quantum-well structures. The dipole moment for the TE mode in quantum-well structures is found to be about 1.5 times larger at the subband edges than that of conventional double heterostructures. Also obtained is the difference of the dipole moment between TE and TM modes, which results in the gain difference between these modes. Then we derive the linear gain taking into account the intraband relaxation. As an example, we applied this analysis to GaInAs/InP quantum-well lasers. It is shown that the effects of the intraband relaxation are 1) shift of the gain peak toward shorter wavelength with increasing injected carrier density even in quantum-well structures, 2) increase of the gain-spectrum width due to the softening of the profile, and 3) reduction in the maximum gain by 30-40 percent. The intervalence band absorption analyzed for quantum-well lasers is nearly in the same order as that for conventional structures. However, its effect on the threshold is smaller because the gain is larger for quantum wells than conventional ones. The characteristic temperature T0of the threshold current of GaInAs/InP multiquantum-well lasers is calculated to be about 90 K at 300 K for well width and well number of 100 Å and 10, respectively.     

Effects of distance between wells on band structure and characteristics of InGaAs/InGaAsP strain-compensated multiple quantum well lasers

In terms of the multi-well energy representation technique, the effects of the distance between wells on the valence band structure and characteristics are analyzed for InGaAs/InGaAsP strain-compensated multiple quantum well lasers with zero net strain. The computed result shows that a coupling effect exists between the wells, causes an energy split, and affects the properties of the laser, such as the density of states, optical gain, differential gain, threshold wavelength, threshold carrier density and threshold current density. We find that when the distance between wells equals twice the thickness of the well, the effect of the distance between wells on the characteristics of the laser becomes weak. Therefore, for the practical design of lasers, it is reasonable to take the thickness of the barrier to be twice that of the well.