A probability-amplitude transfer matrix model fordistributed-feedback laser structures

Two different treatments of spontaneous emission in distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers were found in the literature, but adequate explanations for the different treatments were not found. Using an approach that allows comparison of the two different treatments of spontaneous emission, we show that the different treatments can lead to different spectral predictions. The difference in spectral predictions is negligible in Fabry-Perot lasers and index-coupled DFB lasers. However, in truncated-well gain-coupled DFB lasers, the difference between the two treatments is noticeable, and one treatment is markedly better at fitting to data. The treatment that best fits the data is also the treatment that makes sense quantum-mechanically     

Gain-coupled DFB lasers with truncated quantum well second-ordergratings

Static and dynamic properties of in-phase gain-coupled multiple quantum well distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with second-order gratings have been measured at 1.55 μm. Devices with both facets antireflection coated and with a κL product between 4 and 5 have achieved a sidemode suppression ratio of over 63 dB. Relative intensity noise measurements have confirmed that the dynamic properties of second-order truncated well gain-coupled (GC)-DFB lasers are comparable to those with first-order truncated-well gratings     

Facet phases and sub-threshold spectra of DFB lasers: spectralextraction, features, explanations and verification

The sub-threshold spectra of distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are heavily influenced by the phase of the internal grating with respect to the end facets. In this paper, we document features commonly observed in sub-threshold spectra and explain these features as manifestations of the facet phases. We extract estimates of facet phases by fitting a probability-amplitude transfer-matrix model to spectra from six truncated-well DFB lasers, and use the probability-amplitude model to document, isolate, and explain the sub-threshold spectral dependence on facet phase. To verify the accuracy of the approach that we have taken, we compare estimates of the facet phases from the fits to independent measurements of the facet phases using a scanning photoluminescence method. The results from the two methods are compared and are found to be in agreement. The agreement validates our use of the probability-amplitude model in this paper to explain laser facet phase phenomena     

A model for the above-threshold spectra of truncated-well distributed-feedback lasers

A detailed model for the above-threshold spectra of truncated-well distributed-feedback lasers is presented. Techniques are reported for fitting the model to experimental data. Using these techniques, the above threshold model is shown to predict correctly the evolution of below-threshold spectra to above threshold spectra. Key differences between below- and above-threshold spectra are identified and are shown to be a result of spatial hole burning. Estimations are obtained for the distribution of carriers longitudinally, for the longitudinal refractive index profile and for the longitudinally variant spontaneous emission rate in a laser by fitting the model to spectral data. Finally, the role of the standing wave in truncated-well distributed-feedback lasers is examined and is shown to be significant.     

FM response of InGaAsP buried heterostructure distributed feedbacklasers and their applications in incoherent FSK systems

Measurements are reported of the frequency modulation (FM) response of InGaAsP buried heterostructure distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and the system performance of a 1.7-Gb/s and 622-Mb/s incoherent frequency-shift-keyingn (FSK) system using these lasers. The measured lasers include 1.55-μm conventional DFB lasers and quarter-wave shifted DFB lasers. The thermal dips in the FM response of quarter-wave shifted DFB lasers usually occur at the lower frequencies, compared with that of conventional (250-μm-long) DFB lasers. A receiver sensitivity of -32.5 dBm (-39.5 dBm) for a 1.7-GB/s (622-Mb/s) incoherent frequency-shift-keying (FSK) system was achieved using a quarter-wave shifted DFB laser     

Study of wavelength shift in InGaAs/InAlGaAs QW DFB lasers based onlaser parameters from a comparison of experiment and theory

Experimental data of InGaAs/InAlGaAs quantum well distributed feedback (DFB) lasers such as spectra, under continuous and pulsed biasing, relative intensity noise and linewidth, are compared with the results of model calculations based on a transfer matrix method. Using experimental data of different lasers, a set of physical DFB laser parameters was determined. We succeeded in describing all the experimental data of different lasers by the same set. The determined parameter set was further applied to study the influence of facet properties on the wavelength shift of DFB lasers. We found a very strong dependence of the wavelength tunability on the end facet phases. The wavelength shift varies by a factor up to three between different end facet phases and coatings. This is crucial for the yield of, for example, tunable multisection DFB lasers with an envisaged large tuning range     

Analysis of external optical feedback on distributed-feedbacksemiconductor lasers above threshold

An analysis of external optical feedback based on distributed-feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers above threshold is presented. It is based on a numerical model taking into account the longitudinal spatial hole burning (SHB) effect, which has been recently known to be an important phenomenon for DFB lasers above threshold. Numerical results for a typical index-coupled quarter-wave-shifted (QWS) DFB laser with a moderate coupling coefficient (κL=3) are given. It was found that the SHB effect can affect the sensitivity to feedback for DFB lasers above threshold     

半导体相移分布反馈激光器模式及调制相应特性的研究--牛顿-矢量方法的应用

给出了适于分析DFB激光器稳态特性的数值模型和分析振幅及频率调制响应特性的解析模型.研究了3相移DFB激光器的调制响应特性,并提出了一种能够快速精确得到DFB激光器多个模式解的新方法--矢量牛顿法.该方法将稳定的矢量法与精确的牛顿法结合,保证了求解质量.实践表明该方法非常适合于求解高度非线性方程的多解问题.用此方法,研究了3相移及简单DFB激光器的纵向光子浓度分布,纵模及调制响应特性.结果表明,3相移DFB具有与简单的DFB激光器同样好的调制响应特性,相移的引入在一定程度上抑制了纵向空间烧孔效应,并且有利于DFB激光器的单模输出.     

Distributed feedback lasers in chiral media

The combined effects of chirality and gain (or loss) on wave propagation and coupling in periodic structures is investigated here. The focus is on distributed feedback (DFB) lasers in a transversely unbounded periodic slab with spatially modulated electromagnetic parameters. The analysis uses a coupled-mode approach employing a canonical physical model of chiral materials to predict the effects of modulated chirality admittance on DFB lasers. Results for DFB laser behavior in chiral media are compared and contrasted to that in achiral media. It is found that, under certain circumstances, the electric and magnetic field coupling, which is characteristic of chiral materials, results in a lower threshold gain for DFB lasers in media with a given index of refraction and characteristic impedance. It is also found that chiral index-coupled or gain-coupled DFB lasers exhibit the same spectral mode properties as achiral DFB lasers     

Stability of phase-shifted DFB lasers against hole burning

To study the above-threshold operation of DFB lasers, we have developed a multisection model which we present in detail. We have assessed the sensitivity to hole burning of various strongly coupled DFB lasers and explained their behavior both qualitatively and quantitatively, Good agreement is found with experimental results. It turns out that DFB lasers with a narrow stripe region are more stable than λ/4-shifted DFB lasers     

Measurement of mode partition in DFB lasers

Some DFB (distributed feedback) laser diodes have a satellite mode beside a main DFB mode even if FP modes are suppressed. In this paper, the mode partition noise is presented for several DFB lasers operating in multilongitudinal modes. The results show that under modulation at 140 Mbit/s, the mode partition coefficient k²of multimode DFB lasers is very small and at most 0.02 while that of FP lasers biased at the threshold level is 0.03 to 0.12. The numerical evaluation of the mode partition effect in two-mode DFB lasers suggests that a 20- dB suppression of the satellite mode power is enough to achieve a repeater spacing of over 100 km in the 280 Mbit/s fiber-optic transmission system with less than 0.1-dB power penalty.     

Continuous-wave operation of 1.5 ?m distributed-feedback ridge-waveguide lasers

CW operation of 1.5 ?m ridge-waveguide DFB lasers is reported for the first time. The ridge-waveguide DFB laser structure offers the prospect of high modulation speeds due to the absence of parasitic capacitances associated with reverse-biased current-blocking layers. These devices also represent the first report of CW operation of DFB lasers fabricated using the hybrid LPE/MOCVD crystal-growth technique and also of DFB lasers with gratings produced by electron-beam lithography.     

Improvement of single-mode gain margin in gain-coupled DFB lasers

Using the Bloch-wave analysis, this paper investigates the effect of the gain grating on the single-mode condition in DFB lasers. Various factors affecting the threshold gain of gain-coupled DFB lasers are analyzed in some detail. It is shown for the first time that unequal section lengths in the gain grating can have a significant effect on the single-mode gain margin of gain-coupled DFB lasers, especially when the linewidth enhancement factor α_M is large, because the long and shortwavelength Bloch waves are in phase and in antiphase with the index grating of DFB lasers, respectively     

Distributed feedback InGaAsP/InP lasers with window region emitting at 1.5 µm range

Distributed feedback (DFB) InGaAsP/InP lasers with a window region formed at an end of the corrugated DFB region were made in order to overcome the problems inherent in the previous structures of DFB lasers with cleaved, sawed, etched, or AR-coated facets, or with an unexcited corrugation region. The window structure DFB lasers showed linear current versus output (I-L) curves, in contrast to those with a hysteresis or a kink appearing in a DFB laser with an unexcited region. Suppression of Fabry-Perot (F-P) resonances due to the two facets were sufficient enough to keep a single longitudinal mode property by DFB up to high excitation level. CW operation up to 65°C was achieved at the 1.5 μm wavelength range. Axial modes concerning the corrugated resonator were measured at about the threshold current. A stop band of a DFB laser was clearly observed with two dominant modes and much smaller submodes, which almost agreed with the axial modes predicted from a basic DFB theory.     

Realization of dot DFB lasers

Dot lasers with first-, second- and third-order gain coupled distributed feedback (DFB) gratings have been realized by low damage dry etching in combination with wet chemical etching and epitaxial over-growth. This technique allows above room temperature (RT) operation of dot DFB lasers with dot diameters down to 85 nm. The laser spectra show the expected emission of gain coupled DFB lasers. Threshold current densities between 1.1 kA/cm/sup 2/ and 2.6 kA/cm/sup 2/ could be obtained depending on size of the active region. An improvement in T/sub 0/ could be demonstrated comparing 0-D/1-D/2-D lasers on the same wafer. Based on the dot grating geometry improvement of the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) was observed for broad-area dot DFB lasers.     

Effects of structural parameters on the external optical feedbacksensitivity in DFB semiconductor lasers

External optical feedback sensitivity in distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers is analyzed with special attention to phase-shifted and complex-coupled lasers. The effects of various structural parameters such as coupling strength, facet reflectivity, and corrugation phase angle on external optical feedback sensitivity are studied. The λ/4 phase-shifted index-coupled DFB laser exhibits low external optical feedback sensitivity for large index-coupling coefficient and high facet reflectivity. Pure gain-coupled DFB lasers perform better than the phase-shiftless uniform index-coupled DFB lasers but worse than λ/4 phase-shifted index-coupled lasers with high coupling strengths. External optical feedback sensitivity of complex-coupled lasers depends significantly on the index-to-gain coupling ratio, the phase between the index and gain gratings, and the total coupling     

半导体相移分布反馈激光器模式及调制相应特性的研究--牛顿-矢量方法的应用

给出了适于分析DFB激光器稳态特性的数值模型和分析振幅及频率调制响应特性的解析模型.研究了3相移DFB激光器的调制响应特性,并提出了一种能够快速精确得到DFB激光器多个模式解的新方法--矢量牛顿法.该方法将稳定的矢量法与精确的牛顿法结合,保证了求解质量.实践表明该方法非常适合于求解高度非线性方程的多解问题.用此方法,研究了3相移及简单DFB激光器的纵向光子浓度分布,纵模及调制响应特性.结果表明,3相移DFB具有与简单的DFB激光器同样好的调制响应特性,相移的引入在一定程度上抑制了纵向空间烧孔效应,并且有利于DFB激光器的单模输出.     

Analysis and optimum design of distributed feedback lasers usingcoupled-power theory

Based on coupled-power theory, the analysis and optimum design of distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are discussed. It is shown that the lowest threshold and the elimination of spatial hole burning in antireflection-coated index-coupled/gain-coupled/complex-coupled DFB lasers can be achieved by properly choosing DFB laser parameters such as the phase shift value, variations of the grating along the cavity, etc. It is also shown that coupled-power theory is simple and provides an easy approach to analytical understanding of the physical mechanisms crucial for the optimum design of DFB lasers     

Second-order DFB lasers fabricated by deep UV contact lithography and GSMBE

DFB ridge waveguide lasers at 1.55 mu m with uniform second-order gratings defined by deep UV lithography have been realised for the first time. The lasers have been fabricated using gas source molecular beam epitaxial (GSMBE) heterostructures grown in a two-step process. The characteristics of the DFB lasers (28 mA minimum threshold current, single-mode behaviour at output power in excess of 5 mW for more than 80% of the lasers and very low dispersion (+or-0.6 nm) of the lasing wavelength) demonstrate that deep UV lithography can be successfully used for the fabrication of DFB lasers.<>     

Monolithic integration of low-threshold-current 1.3 ?m GaInAsP/InP DFB lasers

Two 1.3 ?m GaInAsP/InP DFB lasers with low threshold currents (28 and 29 mA) were successfully integrated. Both DFB lasers operated continuously at temperatures of up to 68°C. The 12 ? separation in wavelength between the two lasers was produced by a 2 ? difference of the grating periods. A thermal interaction between the two lasers was estimated from the shift in their wavelengths.