光子集成混沌半导体激光器研究进展（特邀）

混沌激光具有宽频谱、类噪声、低相干等特性,在保密光通信、高速随机数、混沌激光雷达、混沌光时域反射仪和分布式光纤传感等领域具有重要的应用价值。光子集成混沌激光器是混沌激光应用的核心器件,具有体积小、性能稳定、成本低等优点。综述了近十年来光子集成混沌半导体激光器的进展及其主要应用。首先介绍了混沌半导体激光器的集成方式;接着介绍了光子集成混沌半导体激光器的分类,根据其扰动方式讨论了直腔单反馈、多腔反馈、环形腔反馈、二维外腔反馈、互注入等结构,并对比分析了各自的优势与输出特性;然后介绍了光子集成混沌半导体激光器在光时域反射仪、保密光通信和高速随机数产生等方面的应用;最后,讨论了光子集成混沌激光器的关键集成技术、时延特征抑制及间歇混沌的特性。     

Advances in self-assembled semiconductor quantum dot lasers

In the past 20 years the semiconductor laser has become a key device in optical electronics because of its pure output spectrum and high quantum efficiency. As the capabilities of laser diodes have grown, so has the range of applications contemplated for them. A great success in semiconductor lasers has been brought by the ability to artificially structure new materials on an atomic scale by using advanced crystal growth methods such as MBE and MOVPE. The laser performance successes gained using quantum wells in optoelectronic devices can be extended by adopting quantum wire and quantum dot structures. There have been several reports of successful lasing action in semiconductor dot structures within the past few years. In this article I will briefly review the recent progress in the development of quantum dot lasers.     

Self-assembled InAs/InP quantum dots and quantum dashes: Material structures and devices

The advances in lasers, electronic and photonic integrated circuits (EPIC), optical interconnects as well as the modulation techniques allow the present day society to embrace the convenience of broadband, high speed internet and mobile network connectivity. However, the steep increase in energy demand and bandwidth requirement calls for further innovation in ultra-compact EPIC technologies. In the optical domain, advancement in the laser technologies beyond the current quantum well (Qwell) based laser technologies are already taking place and presenting very promising results. Homogeneously grown quantum dot (Qdot) lasers and optical amplifiers, can serve in the future energy saving information and communication technologies (ICT) as the work-horse for transmitting and amplifying information through optical fiber. The encouraging results in the zero-dimensional (0D) structures emitting at 980 nm, in the form of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), are already operational at low threshold current density and capable of 40 Gbps error-free transmission at 108 fJ/bit. Subsequent achievements for lasers and amplifiers operating in the O-, C-, L-, U-bands, and beyond will eventually lay the foundation for green ICT. On the hand, the inhomogeneously grown quasi 0D quantum dash (Qdash) lasers are brilliant solutions for potential broadband connectivity in server farms or access network. A single broadband Qdash laser operating in the stimulated emission mode can replace tens of discrete narrow-band lasers in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transmission thereby further saving energy, cost and footprint. We herein reviewed the1 progress of both Qdots and Qdash devices, based on the InAs/InGaAlAs/InP and InAs/InGaAsP/InP material systems, from the angles of growth and device performance. In particular, we discussed the progress in lasers, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA), mode locked lasers, and superluminescent diodes, which are the building blocks of EPIC and ICT. Alternatively, these optical sources are potential candidates for other multi-disciplinary field applications.     

Monolithic colliding-pulse mode-locked quantum-well lasers

Integration of the whole mode-locked laser onto a single piece of semiconductor offers a number of advantages, including total elimination of optical alignment processes, improved mechanical stability, and the generation of short optical pulses at much higher repetition frequencies. Semiconductor laser processing technologies were used to implement the colliding-pulse mode-locking (CPM) scheme, which is known to effectively shorten the pulses and increase stability, on a miniature monolithic semiconductor cavity. The principles of and recent progress in monolithic CPM quantum-well lasers are reviewed     

Semiconductor light sources for 40-Gb/s transmission systems

The status and prospects of semiconductor light sources for 40-Gb/s transmission systems are reviewed in regard to the following three topics: direct modulation, external modulation, and pulse sources for return-to-zero format. Included are discussions on direct modulation of a 1.3-/spl mu/m distributed feedback laser for 40-Gb/s very-short-reach optical links, progress made in developing external modulators based on electroabsorption of multiple quantum wells, and mode-locked lasers for carrier-suppressed return-to-zero modulation format.     

国内大功率半导体激光器研究及应用现状

近年来,国内外在大功率半导体激光器方面的研究均取得了很大的进展。其中,大功率半导体激光器列阵的研究和应用成为最大的亮点,如超高电光转换效率、高亮度和高可靠性等主要光电特性均实现了巨大的突破。针对国内大功率半导体激光器主要研究内容和关键技术进行了总结,在外延片结构中广泛采用应变量子阱结构、无铝有源区宽波导大光腔结构及非对称波导结构来提高端面光学灾变损伤光功率密度,还从腔面光学膜、器件封装、器件可靠性、光束整形与耦合以及器件应用等几个方面给予介绍。     

Advanced semiconductor lasers

Recent research activities in the field of advanced semiconductor lasers are reviewed with emphasis on highly stable single-wavelength lasers and surface-emitting (SE) lasers for wideband lightwave communication systems and optical parallel information processing. The operational characteristics of DSM (dynamic single-mode) lasers are summarized and requirements for high-performance operation as light sources for high-speed transmission or coherent communications are described. A type of DSM laser called the distributed-reflector (DR) laser is described as an advanced DSM laser which enables high efficiency, high power, and narrow linewidth operations. Specific features and the potential of SE lasers are summarized. Research activities and remaining problems to be solved for a breakthrough in optical parallel information processing are presented. The potential of multidimensional quantum-well structures, such as QW lasers and quantum-box lasers, is discussed in terms of superior characteristics in both stationary and dynamic operations. The present fabrication technologies for realizing high-performance lasers based on multidimensional QW structures are also presented     

量子级联激光器的原理及研究进展

量子级联激光器的发明是半导体激光器领域里程碑的发展,开创了中远红外半导体激光的新领域,在红外对抗、毒品和爆炸物检测、环境污染监测、太赫兹成像等方向有广泛的应用前景.本文阐述了量子级联激光器的基本原理、以及材料和器件的研究,结合应用方向对其研究进展进行了综述性介绍.     

日本半导体光电子器件研究与开发的新进展

根据对日本九所研究所和大学的实地考察,综述了这些研究机构在光电子器件方面的研究和开发进展,这些光电器件主要包括多波长光源和滤长可选择光源、电吸收调制器与分布反馈激光器的集成、泵浦用大功率激光器、大功率ＧａＮ激光器和平面光波回路等。同时,介绍了日本半导体光电产业的发展现状和趋势。     

Comprehensive and fully self-consistent modeling of modern semiconductor lasers

The fully self-consistent model of modern semiconductor lasers used to design their advanced structures and to understand more deeply their properties is given in the present paper. Operation of semiconductor lasers depends not only on many optical, electrical, thermal, recombination, and sometimes mechanical phenomena taking place within their volumes but also on numerous mutual interactions between these phenomena. Their experimental investigation is quite complex, mostly because of miniature device sizes. Therefore, the most convenient and exact method to analyze expected laser operation and to determine laser optimal structures for various applications is to examine the details of their performance with the aid of a simulation of laser operation in various considered conditions. Such a simulation of an operation of semiconductor lasers is presented in this paper in a full complexity of all mutual interactions between the above individual physical processes. In particular, the hole-burning effect has been discussed. The impacts on laser performance introduced by oxide apertures (their sizes and localization) have been analyzed in detail. Also, some important details concerning the operation of various types of semiconductor lasers are discussed. The results of some applications of semiconductor lasers are shown for successive laser structures.     

Super-flat (411)A interfaces and uniformly corrugated (775)B interfaces in GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Extremely flat interfaces, i.e. effectively atomically flat interfaces over a wafer-size area were realized in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs) grown on (411)A GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These flat interfaces are called as “(411)A super-flat interfaces”. Besides in GaAs/AlGaAs QWs, the (411)A super-flat interfaces were formed in pseudomorphic InGaAs/AlGaAs QWs on GaAs substrates and in pseudomorphic and lattice-matched InGaAs/InAlAs QWs on InP substrates. GaAs/AlGaAs resonant tunneling diodes and InGaAs/InAlAs HEMT structures with the (411)A super-flat interfaces were confirmed to exhibit improved characteristics, indicating high potential of applications of the (411)A super-flat interfaces. High density, high uniformity and good optical quality were achieved in (775)B GaAs/(GaAs)_m(AlAs)_n quantum wires (QWRs) self-organized in a GaAs/(GaAs)_m(AlAs)_n QW grown on (775)B GaAs substrates by MBE. The QWRs were successfully applied to QWR lasers, which oscillated at room temperature for the first time as QWR lasers with a self-organized QWR structure in its active region. These results suggest that MBE growth on high index crystal plane such as (411)A or (775)B is very promising for developing novel semiconductor materials for future electron devices.     

飞速发展的半导体激光器

评述半导体激光器的发展动态, 包括应变量子阱激光器、垂直腔面发射激光器、可见光激光器、增益耦台型分布反馈激光器及高功率激光器列阵等。     

Dynamic single-mode semiconductor lasers with a distributed reflector

Recent progress in the dynamic single-mode (DSM) semiconductor lasers in the wavelength of1.5-1.6mum are reviewed and the basic principle of DSM operation is given. Study of the DSM laser is originated for application to the wide-band optical-fiber communication in the lowest loss wavelength region of 1.5 to 1.65 μm. A DSM laser consists of a mode-selective resonator and a transverse-mode-controlled waveguide, such as the narrow-striped distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) laser, so as to maintain a fixed axial mode under the rapid direct modulation. The technology of monolithic integration for optical circuits is applied to realize some of DSM lasers. Structures, static and dynamic characteristics of lasing wavelength, output power, and reliability of the art DSM lasers are reviewed. The dynamic Spectral width of 0.3 nm, the output power of a few milliwatts, and the reliability over a few thousand hours are reported for experimental DSM lasers.     

Dynamics of InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on Ge or Si substrate

Growing semiconductor laser sources on silicon is a crucial but challenging technology for developing photonic integrated circuits(PICs).InAs/GaAs quantum dot(Qdot)lasers have successfully circumvented the mismatch problem betweenⅢ–Ⅴmaterials and Ge or Si,and have demonstrated efficient laser emission.In this paper,we review dynamical characteristics of Qdot lasers epitaxially grown on Ge or Si,in comparison with those of Qdot lasers on native GaAs substrate.We discuss properties of linewidth broadening factor,laser noise and its sensitivity to optical feedback,intensity modulation,as well as mode locking operation.The investigation of these dynamical characteristics is beneficial for guiding the design of PICs in optical communications and optical computations.     

2~4 μm中红外锑化物半导体激光器研究进展（特邀）

2~4 μm波段是非常重要的红外大气窗口,工作在这个波段的激光器在气体检测,医疗美容和工业加工领域具有十分巨大的应用价值。锑化物半导体材料低维结构具有窄禁带直接跃迁发光的独特优势,是实现中红外波段半导体激光器的理想材料体系。近年来,国内外锑化物半导体激光器研究不断取得重要进展,先后实现了量子阱发光的波长拓展、大功率单管和阵列激光器的室温连续激射,也实现了多波段的单模激光器的室温连续工作。锑化物半导体低维材料组分复杂、界面钝化性质特殊,材料外延和工艺制备技术难度较大。文中从锑化物半导体激光器的基本原理出发,综述了国内外研究现状,介绍了锑化物材料低维结构激光器的设计方案、关键制备技术的主要进展,分析了今后该类激光器性能优化的重点研发方向等。     

量子结构激光器能量本征值计算及增益特性分析

将量子结构中的边界条件应用于薛定谔方程的求解,计算了量子结构中粒子的能量本征值及量子结构激光器的态密度和增益,比较了量子点、量子线、量子阱激光器的波长-增益特性,从能量本征值角度探讨了各种量子结构特性差异的根本原因,阐述了量子点激光器的实现问题,分析结果表明,量子点激光器具有高增益、高单色性的特点.     

Filamentation in conventional double heterostructure and quantumwell semiconductor lasers

A wave-optical model is used to investigate filamentation of the optical field in conventional double heterostructure and quantum well semiconductor lasers. The field is propagated by the Crank-Nicholson method, and the gain model is based on a semiclassical laser theory that contains the effects of cross relaxation due to electron-electron and electron-phonon collisions. The model predicts that for broad-area devices, quantum well lasers are less affected by filamentation than conventional double heterostructure lasers     

Electromagnetically induced distributed feedback intersubband lasers

We propose a method to coherently generate uniform and phase-shifted complex-coupled (CC) semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) lasers based on intersubband transitions in n-doped quantum-well structures. This is done by utilizing infrared-induced coherent optical processes in these structures including resonant enhancement of refractive index of the conduction intersubband transitions and generation of laser-induced transparency and gain without inversion. We show that these coherent phenomena can generate electromagnetically induced gratings where the index and gain/loss perturbations and their relative phases can be manipulated using an infrared laser beam. This allows us to coherently control optical feedback in a waveguide structure, switching from a case where there is no feedback in the absence of the infrared laser to the case where different types of CC optical feedbacks are generated as this field is properly adjusted. These include generation of gain and index perturbations (partly gain-coupled DFB laser), pure index corrugation (index-coupled DFB laser), and loss and index perturbations (loss-coupled DFB laser). We study these feedback mechanisms in the cases where the optically induced gratings are uniform along the cavity or have a /spl pi//2 phase shift. We discuss mode characteristics of such electromagnetically induced DFB intersubband lasers and find out how here the gain- and index-coupled DFB lasers are associated, respectively, with gain without inversion and laser-induced transparency in the conduction intersubband transitions of quantum-well structures.     

Nanostructure optical emitters based on quasibound electron energy levels

Given two energy states (levels) in a quantum well formed by two potential barriers of finite thickness, elementary quantum mechanics tells us that the lower energy state is more tightly bound than the upper state. This produces a longer spatial confinement lifetime in the lower state than in the upper state. This ratio of lifetimes is opposite to that needed for laser action between these states. Furthermore, the lifetime of the lower energy state must be significantly shorter than the electron scattering time for the upper state. These facts have blocked the development of lasers based on these transitions. However, in this paper we report experimental and analytical results on a versatile type of semiconductor heterostructure that overcomes these difficulties. Unlike previous devices, this structure relies on an optical transition between two states which are both above-barrier quasibound states in the ‘classical’ continuum. The oscillator strength is large and the operation of the device clearly demonstrates coherent electron wave behavior. Such structures could represent the basis for a new room-temperature infrared semiconductor laser.     

Calculating the optical properties of multidimensionalheterostructures: Application to the modeling of quaternary quantum welllasers

A method for calculating the electronic states and optical properties of multidimensional semiconductor quantum structures is described. The method is applicable to heterostructures with confinement in any number of dimensions: e.g. bulk, quantum wells, quantum wires and quantum dots. It is applied here to model bulk and multiquantum well (MQW) InGaAsP active layer quaternary lasers. The band parameters of the quaternary system required for the modeling are interpolated from the available literature. We compare bulk versus MQW performance, the effects of compressive and tensile strain, room temperature versus high temperature operation and 1.3 versus 1.55 pm wavelength operation. Our model shows that: compressive strain improves MQW laser performance. MQW lasers have higher amplification per carrier and higher differential gain than bulk lasers, however, MQW performance is far from ideal because of occupation of non-lasing minibands. This results in higher carrier densities at threshold than in bulk lasers, and may nullify the advantage of MQW lasers over bulk devices for high temperature operation