High-power operation of aluminum-free (κ=0.98 μm) pumplaser for erbium-doped fiber amplifier

The authors discuss the fabrication and characteristics of high-power (P_CW=430 mW) InGaAs/InGaAsP/InGaP ridge waveguide lasers emitting at λ=0.98 μm, which is the optimum wavelength for pumping erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. In the past, high-power operation of Al-free pump lasers has been limited to 150 mW because of catastrophic optical damage of the mirror facet. This problem has been largely removed by increasing the spot size of the laser with the aid of an improved waveguide design. As a result, Al-free lasers can now achieve a maximum power comparable to the conventional GaAlAs-based pump lasers for λ=0.98 μm     

High-performance long-wavelength (λ~1.3 μm) InGaAsPNquantum-well lasers

We demonstrate high-performance InGaAsPN quantum well based long-wavelength lasers grown on GaAs substrates, nitrogen containing lasers emitting in the λ=1.2- to 1.3-μm wavelength range were grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy using a RF plasma nitrogen source. Under pulsed excitation, lasers emitting at λ=1.295 μm exhibited a record low threshold current density (J_TH) of 2. 5 kA/cm². Lasers grown with less nitrogen in the quantum well exhibited significantly lower threshold current densities of J_TH =1.9 kA/cm² at λ=1.27 μm and J_TH=1.27 kA/cm² at λ=1.2 μm. We also report a slope efficiency of 0.4 W/A and an output power of 450 mW under pulsed operation for nitrogen containing lasers emitting at 1.2 μm     

Continuous wave operation of λ~19 μm surface-plasmonquantum cascade lasers

Continuous wave laser action has been achieved in a superlattice quantum cascade device operating on surface plasmon waveguide modes. The emission wavelength λ~19 μm is by far the longest ever reported for continuous wave III-V semiconductor lasers. The output power at cryogenic temperature is of the order of the mW     

Enhanced relaxation oscillation frequency of 1.3 μmstrained-layer multiquantum well lasers

Dependence of relaxation oscillation frequency (f_r) on the bandgap wavelength of InGaAsP barrier layers (λ_g ^b) and number of quantum wells (N_w) were investigated for the first time, for 1.3 μm InGaAsP/InGaAsP compressively strained multiquantum well (MQW) lasers. 1.3 times higher f_r was confirmed for strained-layer MQW lasers with large N _w (N_w⩾7) and wide bandgap barrier layers (λ_g^b=1.05 μm) at the same injection level, compared with unstrained MQW lasers having the same well thicknesses and the same emitting wavelength. This enhancement mainly results from increased differential gain due to strain effects separated from the quantum-size effect     

Room-temperature long-wavelength (λ=13.3 μm) unipolarquantum dot intersubband laser

Long-wavelength (λ=13.3 μm) unipolar lasing at 283 K from self-organised In_0.4Ga_0.6As/GaAs quantum dots, due to intersubband transitions in the conduction band, is demonstrated for the first time. The threshold current density under continuous wave operation is 1.1 kA/cm² for a 60 μm×1.2 mm broad-area plasmon-enhanced waveguide device and the maximum power output is ≈ μW. The long intersubband relaxation time in quantum dots, together with the short lifetime in the ground state, due to interband stimulated emission, help to achieve the necessary population inversion and gain     

Simultaneously at two wavelengths (5.0 and 7.5 μm) singlemodeand tunable quantum cascade distributed feedback lasers

Quantum cascade distributed feedback (QC-DFB) lasers based on a heterogeneous-cascade two-wavelength active waveguide core and a multisectioned cavity featuring two different Bragg gratings are demonstrated. Optimised lasers display singlemode emission at λ~5.0 and 7.5 μm simultaneously and a tunability on both modes equal to single-wavelength QC-DFB lasers     

Continuous operation of high-power (200 mW) strained-layerGa1-xInxAs/GaAs quantum-well lasers with emissionwavelengths 0.87⩽λ⩽0.95 μm

Separate confinement single-quantum-well lasers with 100-120 Å-thick strained Ga_1-xIn_xAs/GaAs active layers have been grown on (100) GaAs substrates by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition. Ten-stripe proton-implanted arrays with 90 μm-wide aperture and 250 μm cavity length emit 200 mW CW optical power at wavelengths 0.87⩽λ⩽0.95 μm. Lifetest data on an uncoated device emitting 90 mW/facet at 50°C and λ=0.95 μm suggest a mean-time-to-failure in excess of 2500 h at room temperature. The performance of lasers with strained Ga_1-xIn_xAs quantum wells is comparable to that of unstrained Al_xGa_1-xAs/GaAs quantum-well lasers without facet coating     

Ti:Er:LiNbO3 waveguide laser of optimized efficiency

The development of a Fabry-Perot-type Ti,Er:LiNbO₃ waveguide laser of optimized CW output power up to 63 mW (λ_s =1561 nm) at a pump power level of 210 mW (λ_p=1480 nm) and a slope efficiency of up to 37% is reported. The theoretical model for the waveguide laser is presented and applied to determine the optimum resonator configuration using waveguide parameters obtained from a detailed characterization of the laser sample. With pulsed pumping, waveguide laser pulses of up to 6.2 W peak power were observed. Apart from residual relaxation oscillations, the laser emission proved to be shot-noise limited     

Optimal pump wavelength in the4I15/2-4I13/2 absorption band for efficient Er3+-doped fiberamplifiers

The authors report the measured gain of a highly efficient erbium-doped fiber amplifier pumped at wavelengths between 1.46 and 1.51 μm. The optimal pump wavelength, λ_opt, was determined to be 1.475 μm. At this wavelength, the maximum gain coefficients for signals at 1.531 and 1.544 μm were 2.3 and 2.6 dB/mW, respectively. At λ_opt, high gains ranging from 32 dB at pump power P_p=20 mW up to 40 dB at P _p=80 mW were obtained. These modest pump powers are within the capabilities of currently available 1.48-μm diode lasers. The width about λ_opt for 3-dB gain variation exceeded 27 nm for P_p=10 mW and 40 nm for P_p >20 mW. With this weak dependence on pump wavelength, single-longitudinal-mode lasers do not have a significant advantage over practical Fabry-Perot multimode pump lasers     

Theoretical modeling of optical amplification in Er-doped Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides

An accurate theoretical analysis is presented describing optical amplification in Er-diffused Ti:LiNbO₃ channel waveguides. It follows as far as possible the theory already developed for Er-doped fibers. As optical pumping around λ_p≈1.48 μm is considered, a quasi-two-level model for the Er³⁺ ions is used with wavelength-dependent cross sections. The optical gain in the 1.53 μm<λ<1.64-μm wavelength range is evaluated. The characteristic parameters, as Er concentration profile, cross sections, pump, and signal mode distributions and waveguide (scattering) losses are taken from experiments. Examples of numerically calculated pump-, small-signal-gain-, and ASE-evolutions are presented. The model has been tested by comparing computed and experimentally observed gain characteristics for Xˆ- and Yˆ-cut LiNbO₃; an almost quantitative agreement has been obtained     

High T0 long-wavelength InGaAsN quantum-well lasersgrown by GSMBE using a solid arsenic source

We demonstrate high performance, λ=1.3- and 1.4-μm wavelength InGaAsN-GaAs-InGaP quantum-well (QW) lasers grown lattice-matched to GaAs substrates by gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) using a solid As source. Threshold current densities of 1.15 and 1.85 kA/cm² at λ=1.3 and 1.4 μm, respectively, were obtained for the lasers with a 7-μm ridge width and a 3-mm-long cavity. Internal quantum efficiencies of 82% and 52% were obtained for λ=1.3 and 1.4 μm emission, respectively, indicating that nonradiative processes are significantly reduced in the quantum well at λ=1.3 μm due to reduced N-H complex formation. These Fabry-Perot lasers also show high characteristic temperatures of T₀ =122 K and 100 K at λ=1.3 and 1.4 μm, respectively, as well as a low emission wavelength temperature dependence of (0.39±0.01) nm/°C over a temperature range of from 10°C to 60°C     

The small-signal response of 1.5 μm multiple-quantum-well lasersin a two-band-model approximation

The variation of the small-signal response of 1.5 μm unstrained multiple quantum-well lasers with the number of wells (N_W ) is studied theoretically in a two-band-model (TB) approximation. The quasi-Fermi energies, together with gain and spontaneous emission rate spectra, are formulated analytically assuming a finite-well model and flatband conditions, including the contributions from carriers in both the wells and the barriers. The gain spectrum shows two major peaks located at the lowest heavy-hole and light-hole transitions. Therefore, the lasers under investigation are treated as three-level systems. The optical confinement factors are evaluated numerically by the matrix transfer method. The traditional rate equations are reformulated and solved for the frequency and damping rate of the relaxation oscillations in terms of an equivalent circuit     

High power and high efficiency operation of Al-freeInGaAs/GaInAsP/GaInP GRINSCH SQW lasers (λ≃0.98 μm)

High power and high quantum efficiency Al-free InGaAs/GaInAsP/GaInP GRINSCH SQW lasers emitting at 0.98 μm are reported. A CW output power as high as 580 mW and single lateral mode power up to 280 mW were achieved for the Al-free ridge waveguide lasers at room temperature. The lasers exhibited a high internal quantum efficiency of 99% and low internal waveguide loss of 3.2 cm^-1. A high characteristic temperature of 217 K and low threshold current density of 109 A/cm² were also obtained. The results are the best obtained for Al-free 0.98 μm pumping lasers     

Transient Chirp Suppression in Directly Modulated Microring Lasers

The effect of internal feedback through bus waveguide reflectivity has been numerically evaluated as a key parameter for the improvement of direct modulation properties of microring lasers. According to calculations, appropriate values of feedback power result in damped relaxation oscillations and consequent transient chirp reduction. An evaluation of the above technique at 10 Gb/s including fiber transmission over 10 and 20 km indicates that microring lasers could efficiently operate as low-cost directly modulated transmitters in metro/access networks.      

Improved catastrophic optical mirror damage level in InGaAs/AlGaAslaser diodes

9.2 W continuous wave (CW) optical power at a heatsink temperature 10°C and 12.2 W in a regime with stabilised temperature of the laser chip is demonstrated from a 100 μm aperture InGaAs/AlGaAs (λ=1.03 μm) laser diode with 0.4 μm wide GaAs waveguide. Thus, record-high optical power densities of 30 MW/cm² and 40 MW/cm² correspondingly are achieved at the front facet without catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD)     

Analysis of Relaxation Oscillations and Gain Switching of Unidirectional Erbium-Doped Waveguide Ring Lasers

Relaxation oscillations and gain switching of erbium-doped waveguide ring lasers (EDWRLs) are studied using numerical simulations based on time-dependent rate-propagation equations. The counter-directional wave suppression is analyzed for different waveguide ring cavity configurations and pumping schemes. It is shown that the counter-directional wave suppression in unidirectional EDWRLs undergoes relaxation oscillations synchronously with oscillating power. It is also shown that the suppression in the first spike is maximal, so the gain switching technique provides the most favorable conditions for unidirectional lasing. Furthermore, for the one-end-pumped gain-switched EDWRL, highly unidirectional operation is possible with no intracavity elements included. In this case the counter-directional wave suppression considerably exceeds its steady-state value. The gain-switched suppression caused by intracavity elements is close to the steady-state value.      

Fluorescence and laser operation in single-mode Ti-diffusedNd:MgO:LiNbO3 waveguide structures

The spectral properties of the guided-wave Nd fluorescence and results of laser oscillation in Ti-indiffused single-mode Nd:MgO:LiNbO ₃ waveguides and waveguide cavities, respectively, are reported. The splitting and polarization behavior of the fluorescence lines around 0.9, 1.08, and 1.37 μm were studied. Using a single-mode diode laser as a pump source (λ_p=814.6 nm), an oscillation threshold in an 8-mm-long structure of 2.1-mW absorbed pump power has been obtained. An output power up to 310 μW (limited by the available pump power), a slope efficiency of 16% at power levels >150 μW, and an emission linewidth of 0.21 nm (at λ_s=1085 nm) have been measured     

Dependence of Ti-diffused Er:LiNbO3 laser efficiency onwaveguide fabrication parameters and pump wavelength

The mode size, effective pump area, and coupling efficiency as function of initial Ti-stripe width W, diffusion temperature T, and initial Ti-stripe thickness H in c-cut Ti-diffused Er:LiNbO₃ waveguide laser have been studied theoretically, taking into account optical pumping λ_p=1.477 μm and 0.98 μm. The main features of the mode sizes in terms of these diffusion parameters were collected and, as compared with the experimental results, a qualitative agreement has been achieved. The effective pump areas exhibit both significant initial Ti-stripe width and diffusion temperature dependence, especially for W>9 μm and T>1050°C, whereas the initial Ti-stripe thickness can hardly give influence when pumping with λ_p=0.98 μm radiation. On the other hand, coupling efficiency is approximately unchanged with values 0.76-0.78 for λ_p=1.477 μm and 0.8-0.85 for λ _p=0.98 μm, indicating that there are no optimized values of these parameters to increase slope efficiency through coupling efficiency. Moreover, the 0.98 μm pumping reveal lower threshold and higher coupling efficiency than 1.477-μm pumping. Finally, the appropriate waveguide fabrication parameters were proposed for the fabrication of a more efficient laser     

High contrast GaInAs:Fe photoconductive optical AND gate fortime-division demultiplexing

A high-contrast, three port optical AND gate based on the photoconductive effect in Ga_0.47In_0.53As:Fe and operating in the λ=1.3-5 μm wavelength range is demonstrated. A 250:1 optical power contrast ratio (or 48 dB in electrical power after detection) is obtained in an optical-to-optical time division demultiplexing of a 100 MHz pulse train by a 6.25 MHz clock, both at λ=1.3 μm, with the demultiplexed output pulses at λ=1.5 μm     

Low-threshold current, high-efficiency 1.3-μm wavelengthaluminum-free InGaAsN-based quantum-well lasers

We demonstrate high-performance Al-free InGaAsN-GaAs-InGaP-based long-wavelength quantum-well (QW) lasers grown on GaAs substrates by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy using a RF plasma nitrogen source. Continuous wave (CW) operation of InGaAsN-GaAs QW lasers is demonstrated at λ=1.3 μm at a threshold current density of only J_TH =1.32 kA/cm². These narrow ridge (W=8.5 μm) lasers also exhibit an internal loss of only 3.1 cm^-1 and an internal efficiency of 60%. Also, a characteristic temperature of T₀=150 K from 10°C to 60°C was measured, representing a significant improvement over conventional λ=1.3 μm InGaAsP-InP lasers. Under pulsed operation, a record high maximum operating temperature of 125°C and output powers greater than 300 mW (pulsed) and 120 mW (CW) were also achieved