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Semiconductor optical gain
About: Semiconductor optical gain is a(n) research topic. Over the lifetime, 5997 publication(s) have been published within this topic receiving 96505 citation(s).
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TL;DR: In this article, a theory of the spectral width of a single-mode semiconductor laser is presented and used to explain the recent measurements of Fleming and Mooradian on AlGaAs lasers.
Abstract: A theory of the spectral width of a single-mode semiconductor laser is presented and used to explain the recent measurements of Fleming and Mooradian on AlGaAs lasers. They found the linewidth to be inversely proportional to power and to have a value of 114 MHz at 1 mW per facet. This value is 30 times greater than can be explained by existing theories. The enhanced linewidth is attributed to the variation of the real refractive index n' with carrier density. Spontaneous emission induces phase and intensity changes in the laser field. The restoration of the laser to its steady-state intensity results in changes in the imaginary part of the refractive index \Delta n" . These changes are accompanied by changes in the real part of the refractive index \Delta n' , which cause additional phase fluctuations and line broadening. The linewidth enhancement is shown to be 1 + \alpha^{2} , where \alpha = \Delta n'/\Delta n" . A value of \alpha \approx 5.4 , needed to explain the observed linewidth, is close to the experimental values of a of 4.6 and 6.2.
2,169 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that light amplification is possible using silicon itself, in the form of quantum dots dispersed in a silicon dioxide matrix, which opens a route to the fabrication of a silicon laser.
Abstract: Adding optical functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is one of the most challenging problems of materials research. Silicon is an indirect-bandgap semiconductor and so is an inefficient emitter of light. For this reason, integration of optically functional elements with silicon microelectronic circuitry has largely been achieved through the use of direct-bandgap compound semiconductors. For optoelectronic applications, the key device is the light source--a laser. Compound semiconductor lasers exploit low-dimensional electronic systems, such as quantum wells and quantum dots, as the active optical amplifying medium. Here we demonstrate that light amplification is possible using silicon itself, in the form of quantum dots dispersed in a silicon dioxide matrix. Net optical gain is seen in both waveguide and transmission configurations, with the material gain being of the same order as that of direct-bandgap quantum dots. We explain the observations using a model based on population inversion of radiative states associated with the Si/SiO2 interface. These findings open a route to the fabrication of a silicon laser.
2,157 citations
TL;DR: A redshift that is strongly dependent on pump power supports the idea that the electron–hole plasma mechanism is primarily responsible for the gain at room temperature and is a considerable advance towards the realization of electron-injected, nanowire-based ultraviolet–blue coherent light sources.
Abstract: There is much current interest in the optical properties of semiconductor nanowires, because the cylindrical geometry and strong two-dimensional confinement of electrons, holes and photons make them particularly attractive as potential building blocks for nanoscale electronics and optoelectronic devices, including lasersand nonlinear optical frequency converters. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor of much practical interest, because it is widely used in electrically pumped ultraviolet-blue light-emitting diodes, lasers and photodetectors. Recent progress in microfabrication techniques has allowed stimulated emission to be observed from a variety of GaN microstructures and films. Here we report the observation of ultraviolet-blue laser action in single monocrystalline GaN nanowires, using both near-field and far-field optical microscopy to characterize the waveguide mode structure and spectral properties of the radiation at room temperature. The optical microscope images reveal radiation patterns that correlate with axial Fabry-Perot modes (Q approximately 10(3)) observed in the laser spectrum, which result from the cylindrical cavity geometry of the monocrystalline nanowires. A redshift that is strongly dependent on pump power (45 meV microJ x cm(-2)) supports the idea that the electron-hole plasma mechanism is primarily responsible for the gain at room temperature. This study is a considerable advance towards the realization of electron-injected, nanowire-based ultraviolet-blue coherent light sources.
1,165 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: In this article, a classical treatment of Quantum Optics Appendices is presented, which includes the Kramers-Kroning relations, the Electrooptic Effect in Cubic 43m Crystals, Noise in Traveling Wave Lasers Amplifiers, and Phase Conjugation in Photorefractive Media.
Abstract: 1. Electromagnetic Theory 2. The Propagation of Rays and Beams 3. Propagation of Optical Beams in Fibers 4. Optical Resonators 5. Interaction of Radiation and Atomic Systems 6. Theory of Laser Oscillation and its Control in the Continuous and Pulsed Regimes 7. Some Specific Laser Systems 8. Second-Harmonic Generation and Parametric oscillation 9. Electronic Modulation of Laser Beams 10. Noise in Optical Detection and Generation 11. Detection of Optical Radiation 12. Interaction of Light and Sound 13. Propagation of Coupling Modes in Optical Dielectric Waveguides-Periodic Waveguides 14. Holography and Optical Data Storage 15. Semiconductor Lasers-Theory and Applications 16. Advanced Semiconductor Lasers: Quantum Well Lasers, Distributed Feedback Lasers, Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers 17. Phase Conjugate Optics - Theory and Applications 18. Two-Beam Coupling and Phase Conjugation in Photorefractive Media 19. Optical Solitons 20. A Classical Treatment of Quantum Optics Appendices A. The Kramers-Kroning relations B. The Electrooptic Effect in Cubic 43m Crystals C. Noise in Traveling Wave Lasers Amplifiers D. Transformation of a coherent
1,140 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of the shape and the initial frequency chirp of input pulses on shape and spectrum of amplified pulses is discussed in detail and the case in which the input pulsewidth is comparable to the carrier lifetime so that the saturated gain has time to recover partially before the trailing edge of the pulse arrives.
Abstract: Amplification of ultrashort optical pulses in semiconductor laser amplifiers is shown to result in considerable spectral broadening and distortion as a result of the nonlinear phenomenon of self-phase modulation (SPM). The physical mechanism behind SPM is gain saturation, which leads to intensity-dependent changes in the refractive index in response to variations in the carrier density. The effect of the shape and the initial frequency chirp of input pulses on the shape and the spectrum of amplified pulses is discussed in detail. Particular attention is paid to the case in which the input pulsewidth is comparable to the carrier lifetime so that the saturated gain has time to recover partially before the trailing edge of the pulse arrives. The experimental results, performed by using picosecond input pulses from a 1.52- mu m mode-locked semiconductor laser, are in agreement with the theory. When the amplified pulse is passed through a fiber, it is initially compressed because of the frequency chirp imposed on it by the amplifier. This feature can be used to compensate for fiber dispersion in optical communication systems. >
1,127 citations