Near threshold operation of semiconductor lasers and resonant-type laser amplifiers

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/3.234399· OSTI ID:5826451

Hui, R; Benedetto, S; Montrosset, I ^[1]

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1. Politecnico di Torino, Torino (Italy). Dept. di Electtronica

The characteristics of a semiconductor laser operating in the threshold region are investigated systematically. In this transition region from below to above threshold, the line-width versus injection current characteristic is found to be nonmonotonic: a local minimum of linewidth just below threshold and a local maximum just above threshold are confirmed experimentally. If a semiconductor laser works below threshold as a resonant optical amplifier or optical filter, the small-signal frequency bandwidth is found to be equivalent to the spontaneous emission linewidth. When the laser amplifier is used simultaneously as a photodetector, the maximum value of photodetection sensitivity is achieved with the laser amplifier biased between 98-99% of the threshold current. The Fokker-Planck equation method is employed in the linewidth calculation. A numerical computer simulation is also performed using the rate-equation model. A reasonable agreement between theory and experiment is obtained.

• OSTI ID: 5826451
• Journal Information: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States) Vol. 29:6; ISSN 0018-9197; ISSN IEJQA7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
AMPLIFICATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CURRENTS
DATA
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
EQUATIONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOKKER-PLANCK EQUATION
INFORMATION
LASERS
LINE WIDTHS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPERATION
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
SIMULATION
SOLID STATE LASERS
THRESHOLD CURRENT
TUNING