Transverse mode dynamics in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers: Spatiotemporal versus modal expansion descriptions
- Instituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas-Universitat de les Illes Balears, Campus UIB, E-07071 Palma de Mallorca (Spain)
We discuss the range of validity of a modal description for the spatiotemporal dynamics of the optical field in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. We focus on the secondary pulsations that appear during the turn-off transients when the injection current is modulated by a square-wave signal. We compare the results obtained with both a full spatiotemporal model [J. Mulet and S. Balle, IEEE J. Quantum. Electron. 38, 291 (2002)] and a modal expansion derived from this model. We find that the results obtained from the two descriptions agree for strong lateral guiding. However, for weak lateral guiding we find differences because the optical-field profile changes significantly due to spatial changes in the refractive index induced by the carrier density. The reason is that in the full spatiotemporal model a shrinkage of the mode profile occurs, which leads to an enhancement of the secondary pulsations. This effect is not included in the modal expansion, and it determines the limits of validity of such an approach for gain-guided devices.
- OSTI ID:
- 20632352
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 66, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.66.053802; (c) 2002 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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