Ignacio Esquivias

Damping-limited modulation bandwidths up to 40 GHz in undoped short-cavity In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As-GaAs multiple-quantum-well lasers

We demonstrate record direct modulation bandwidths from MBE-grown In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As-GaAs multiple-quantum-well lasers with undoped active regions and with the upper and lower cladding layers grown at different growth temperatures. Short-cavity ridge waveguide lasers achieve CW direct modulation bandwidths up to 40 GHz for 6/spl times/130 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ devices at a bias current of 155 mA, which is the damping limit for this structure. We further demonstrate large-signal digital modulation up to 20 Gb/s (limited by the measurement setup) and linewidth enhancement factors of 1.4 at the lasing wavelength at threshold of /spl sim/1.1 /spl mu/m for these devices.

Impedance characteristics of quantum-well lasers

We derive theoretical expressions for the impedance of quantum-well lasers below and above threshold based on a simple rate equation model. These electrical laser characteristics are shown to be dominated by purely electrical parameters related to carrier capture/transport and carrier re-emission. The results of on-wafer measurements of the impedance of high-speed In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As/GaAs multiple-quantum-well lasers are shown to be in good agreement with this simple model, allowing us to extract the effective carrier escape time and the effective carrier lifetime, and to estimate the effective carrier capture/transport time.<<ETX>>

Nonlinear properties of tapered laser cavities

The nonlinear phenomena accompanying the process of light generation in high-power tapered semiconductor lasers are studied using a combination of simulation and experiment. Optical pumping, electrical overpumping, filamentation, and spatial hole burning are shown to be the key nonlinear phenomena influencing the operation of tapered lasers at high output powers. In the particular tapered laser studied, the optical pumping effect is found to have the largest impact on the output beam quality. The simulation model used in this study employs the wide-angle finite-difference beam propagation method for the analysis of the optical propagation within the cavity. Quasi-three-dimensional (3-D) thermal and electrical models are used for the calculation of the 3-D distributions of the temperature, electrons, holes, and electrical potential. The simulation results reproduce key features and the experimental trends.

Simple model for calculating the ratio of the carrier capture and escape times in quantum-well lasers

We have developed a simple model for the carrier capture and escape processes in quantum-well (QW) lasers, which yields an analytical expression for the ratio of the carrier capture and escape times. It predicts a decrease in the escape time with injected carrier density due to the state filling effect. It also shows an exponential dependence of the escape time on the effective barrier height and on the inverse of the temperature. A comparison between experimental and calculated values for InGaAs/GaAs QW lasers is presented showing a good agreement.

Quasi-3-D simulation of high-brightness tapered lasers

We present a simulation tool useful to optimize the design of semiconductor tapered lasers and to study the physical processes inside of them. This is achieved by using a state-of-the-art quasi-three-dimensional (quasi-3-D) electrical and thermal model, coupled to a two-dimensional (2-D) wide-angle beam propagation method optical model. A calibration procedure of model parameters is proposed to contribute to the development of reliable simulation tools. Different laser diodes with a tapered gain section, emitting at 735 and 975 nm, are used to validate the model through the extensive comparison of experimental and simulated results. The suitability of 2-D and 3-D electrical, thermal, and optical models is discussed in terms accuracy and computational effort.

Beam Properties of 980-nm Tapered Lasers With Separate Contacts: Experiments and Simulations

The beam properties of 980-nm tapered lasers with separate current drives for the ridge waveguide and tapered sections are analyzed by means of a comparison between simulations and experimental results. The simulations are performed with a new model for this type of tapered lasers, providing a good qualitative agreement with experiments. The observed improvement in the beam quality by a stronger pumping of the ridge waveguide section with respect to the tapered section is attributed to the reduction of the backward field intensity. The simulations show that this improvement, far from being a general rule, depends on the details of the device geometry.

Impedance, modulation response, and equivalent circuit of ultra-high-speed In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As/GaAs MQW lasers with p-doping

On-wafer measurements of the frequency-dependent impedance, modulation response, and RIN power spectra of ultra-high-speed p-doped In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As/GaAs MQW lasers are presented and analyzed. The experimental results are shown to be accurately modeled by an equivalent circuit which accounts for both the carrier transport/capture dynamics and the junction space-charge capacitance. We find that the carrier escape time out of the QWs in our laser structure is much larger. Than the carrier capture time, and therefore the interplay between carrier capture and re-emission is not affecting the high-speed modulation dynamics. On the other hand, the absolute values of both the carrier capture time and the space-charge capacitance still limit the modulation bandwidth.<<ETX>>

Carrier capture and escape times in In 0.35 Ga 0.65 As-GaAs multiquantum-well lasers determined from high-frequency electrical impedance measurements

We present experimental results on the high-frequency electrical impedance of In/sub 0.35/Ga/sub 0.65/As-GaAs multiquantum-well lasers with varied p-doping levels in the active region. The analysis of the data, using a simple three rate equation model, provides information about the dynamical time constants (the carrier lifetime, the effective carrier capture and escape times) under the laser operation conditions. The addition of p-doping increases the carrier escape time at threshold from 0.7 ns, extracted for the undoped devices, up to a value higher than 2 ns for the p-doped lasers. The effective capture time is estimated to be between 2 and 5 ps.

Gain, index variation, and linewidth-enhancement factor in 980-nm quantum-well and quantum-dot lasers

An experimental comparative study of the gain, index variation, and linewidth enhancement factor in 980-nm quantum-well (QW) and quantum-dot (QD) lasers structures, designed for high power applications, is presented. The gain spectra of the QW lasers at high injection level revealed three different transition energies, with a low linewidth enhancement factor (/spl sim/1.2) for E2HH2 transitions. Similar values for the linewidth enhancement factor, ranging between 2.5 and 4.5, were found for QW and QD devices, when comparing at similar values of the peak gain. This result is attributed to the contribution of excited state transitions in the measured QD lasers.

High-Power Tunnel-Injection 1060-nm InGaAs–(Al)GaAs Quantum-Dot Lasers

High-power 1060-nm InGaAs-(Al)GaAs quantum-dot (QD) laser material was developed with an integrated InGaAs quantum film acting as a tunnel injector for electrons. In comparison to a QD laser without tunnel-injection design, the new type of lasers exhibit a strongly improved temperature stability of the threshold current and internal quantum efficiency.