Complex phenomena in photonics, in particular, dynamical properties of semiconductor lasers due to delayed coupling, are reviewed. Although considered a nuisance for a long time, these phenomena now open interesting perspectives. Semiconductor laser systems represent excellent test beds for the study of nonlinear delay-coupled systems, which are of fundamental relevance in various areas. At the same time delay-coupled lasers provide opportunities for photonic applications. In this review an introduction into the properties of single and two delay-coupled lasers is followed by an extension to network motifs and small networks. A particular emphasis is put on emerging complex behavior, deterministic chaos, synchronization phenomena, and application of these properties that range from encrypted communication and fast random bit sequence generators to bioinspired information processing.

/pdf/complex-photonics-dynamics-and-applications-of-delay-coupled-1llx3j8d4d.pdf

Complex photonics: Dynamics and applications of delay-coupled semiconductors lasers

We report a new mechanism of direct frequency modulation, the cavity‐mode enhanced frequency modulation (CME‐FM), using the newly developed cleaved‐coupled‐cavity (C3) semiconductor laser. In this operation, one of the diode of the C3 laser was operated as a laser, while the other diode was operated as a frequency modulator. It was shown that a very large frequency excursion of 150 A and frequency tuning rate of 10 A/mA have been obtained with a C3 GaInAsP crescent laser operating at 1.3 μm. Time‐resolved spectral and spectral‐resolved pulse response measurements also showed that such C3 lasers operated in highly stable single‐longitudinal mode at all times even under high‐speed direct frequency modulation. In addition to the important application as the optical source in FM optical communication systems, the present CME‐FM C3 laser can also be used as the optical source in wavelength‐division multiplexing systems. Further, it opens the possibility of ultrahigh capacity multilevel optical FM information t...

High‐speed direct single‐frequency modulation with large tuning rate and frequency excursion in cleaved‐coupled‐cavity semiconductor lasers

A low-noise optical amplifier solves crosstalk problems in optical amplifiers by using an optical cavity oriented off-axis (e.g. perpendicular) to the direction of a signal amplified by the gain medium of the optical amplifier. Several devices are used to suppress parasitic lasing of these types of structures. The parasitic lasing causes the gain of these structures to be practically unusable. The lasing cavity is operated above threshold and the gain of the laser is clamped to overcome the losses of the cavity. Any increase in pumping causes the lasing power to increase. The clamping action of the gain greatly reduces crosstalk due to gain saturation for the amplified signal beam. It also reduces other nonlinearities associated with the gain medium such as four-wave mixing induced crosstalk. This clamping action can occur for a bandwidth defined by the speed of the laser cavity. The lasing field also reduces the response time of the gain medium. By having the lasing field off-axis, no special coatings are needed. Other advantages are that the lasing field is easily separated from the amplified signal and the carrier grating fluctuations induced by four-wave mixing are decreased. Two related methods reduce the amplified spontaneous emission power without sacrificing the gain of the optical amplifier.

Cross-talk free, low-noise optical amplifier

Operating characteristics of high-power large-active-area GaAlAs amplifiers configured in double-pass and single-pass traveling-wave arrangements are described. Single-pass broad-area amplifiers with a 600- mu m stripe width generated up to 21 W of near-diffraction-limited emission under pulsed operation when injected with 500 mW from a Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser, and 11.6 W when injected with 100 mW from a laser diode master laser. In CW operation, a broad-area amplifier output of 3.3 W was demonstrated. Tapered-stripe large-area amplifiers emitted up to 4.5 W in a near-diffraction-limited beam when injected with 150 mW from a Ti:Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ laser. The physical mechanisms causing degradation of the output beam phase front and intensity uniformity at high output power levels, including thermal lensing and filamentation, are presented. >

High-power, near-diffraction-limited large-area traveling-wave semiconductor amplifiers

This tutorial review is concerned with the properties of injection lasers operated with passive optical feedback. Thep-n junction laser characteristics relevant for operation in external cavities are summarized. The properties of diode lasers coupled to different types of external resonators are reviewed as well as experiments that incorporate passive feedback in monolithic integrated optical structures.

Diode lasers coupled to external resonators

Experimental results are presented on the operational characteristics of GaAs laser amplifiers very closely coupled to a laser oscillator. The separation between the oscillator and the amplifier was varied from 0.2 to 2.0 microns. The amplifiers were made by lapping one end at an angle of 10 to 15 degrees. This angle is several times larger than the critical angle for confinement of radiation in GaAs lasers that is estimated from experimental data to be between 2 and 3 degrees. The measured signal gain is a decaying function of input power and approaches a value of 2 to 4 for large input signals. A maximum amplifier gain of about 150 was obtained for an input signal of 2 mW/mil junction width (corresponding to an optical flux-density of about 8 kW/cm2incident on the input side of the amplifier). At this input power level, the output fluoresence is reduced by about 50 percent and the internal oscillatory modes of the amplifier are almost completely quenched. The ratio of the oscillator output actually coupled into the amplifier to the measured output from the oscillator was estimated from gain saturation measurements. It was found to be inversely proportional to the cleaved separation between the oscillator and the amplifier and was estimated as 0.5 and 0.07 for separations of 0.2 and 2 microns, respectively. The output quantum efficiency of the laser amplifier was demonstrated to be comparable to the output quantum efficiency of a single oscillator. Tests of a new structure for a low-noise, constant-gain laser amplifier are described.

R. Cornely

Papers

GaAs laser amplifiers