Mikhael Myara

Bragg section effects on linewidth and lineshape in 1.55-/spl mu/m DBR tunable laser diodes

We report linewidth and lineshape measurements on 1.55-/spl mu/m distributed Bragg reflector tunable laser diodes using the heterodyne method. We measure Lorentzian linewidths ranging from 3.5 to 25 MHz without any passive section injection. Biasing the Bragg section enhances the residual linewidth up to 6.2 MHz, changes the linewidth-power product, and brings an additional Gaussian lineshape. The feedback sensitivity of the overall setup is also demonstrated.

3.6-MHz linewidth 1.55-μm monomode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

We report on high-resolution linewidth measurement of proton-implanted bottom-emitting InGaAsP long-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) employing the heterodyne method. Devices with 35-/spl mu/m active diameter exhibit record linewidths of 3.6 MHz and negligible extrapolated linewidth for infinite power, at room temperature. This result relies on the long-cavity-designed VCSEL. The linewidth enhancement factor is also determined: /spl alpha//spl ap/2.1.

CRDS with a VECSEL for broad-band high sensitivity spectroscopy in the 2.3 μm window

The integration of an industry ready packaged Sb-based Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting-Laser (VECSEL) into a Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (CRDS) is presented. The instrument operates in the important 2.3 μm atmospheric transparency window and provides a high sensitivity (minimum detectable absorption of 9 × 10(-11) cm(-1)) over a wide spectra range. The VECSEL performances combine a large continuous tunability over 120 cm(-1) around 4300 cm(-1) together with a powerful (∼5 mW) TEM00 diffraction limited beam and linewidth at MHz level (for 1 ms of integration time). The achieved performances are illustrated by high sensitivity recordings of the very weak absorption spectrum of water vapor in the region. The developed method gives potential access to the 2-2.7 μm range for CRDS.

2.7-

We present the design, technology, and performances of a tunable Sb-based diode-pumped type-I quantum-well (QW) vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers emitting at 2.7 μm. The half vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) structure was grown by molecular beam epitaxy with quantum-well growth temperature of 440 °C. The sample was thermally annealed to optimize the QW gain design. We report on room-temperature continuous-wave laser with 0.17-mW output power and low threshold incident pump intensity of 0.7 kW/cm2 while pumping at 830 nm with a commercial diode laser. The external cavity provides a circular TEM00 beam with a low divergence of 3.6°. The short mm-long optical cavity laser exhibits tunable single frequency operation, with a sidemode suppression ratio >;>; 23dB, a linewidth <;<;4;GHz, and a linear light polarization. Thermal and optical properties are studied.

\mu{\rm m}

We present an in-depth analysis of the VeCSELs frequency and the intensity noise.

Single-Frequency

We report terminal electrical noise measurements on 1.55-/spl mu/m DBR tunable laser diodes in the 1 Hz-1 MHz frequency range, performed using an electrical correlation method. These measurements are compared with a comprehensive electrical model based on rate equation formalism. Taking into account diffusion phenomenon and structural parameters, we obtain a complete agreement between the model and the measurements above threshold and a quite similar tendency below threshold. The influence of Bragg section bias is also discussed.

{\rm TEM}_{00}

The generation of a coherent state, supporting a large photon number, with controlled orbital-angular-momentum L = ħl (of charge l per photon) presents both fundamental and technological challenges: we demonstrate a surface-emitting laser, based on III-V semiconductor technology with an integrated metasurface, generating vortex-like coherent state in the Laguerre-Gauss basis. We use a first order phase perturbation to lift orbital degeneracy of wavefunctions, by introducing a weak anisotropy called here “orbital birefringence”, based on a dielectric metasurface. The azimuthal symmetry breakdown and non-linear laser dynamics create “orbital gain dichroism” allowing selecting vortex handedness. This coherent photonic device was characterized and studied, experimentally and theoretically. It exhibits a low divergence (<1°) diffraction limited beam, emitting 49 mW output power in the near-IR at λ ≃ 1 μm, a charge l = ±1, … ±4 (>50 dB vortex purity), and single frequency operation in a stable low noise regime (0.1% rms). Such high performance laser opens the path to widespread new photonic applications.

Low-Threshold Sb-Based Diode-Pumped External-Cavity VCSEL

Most common monomode tunable laser diodes use carriers injection to change a bulky semi-conductor materials optical index (through absorption), with the aim of switching the emission wavelength, thanks to the phasis comb spectrum or Bragg filtering evolution. This index change existe in the active, phase and Bragg section. Independently, current injection in a laser diode involves the existance of a fundamental shot noise and of excess 1/f noise. This noise power creates optical index fluctuations in all of the 3 sections, and so modulates the lasers light field. As there is a close link between absorption and refraction index in semiconductors, through Kramers-Kronig relationships this modulation has an influence on both phase and amplitude of the laser field. The aim of this paper is to establish the correlations existing between electrical shot noise and 1/f noise of the tuning sections and the laser fields optical noise.

Noise properties of NIR and MIR VECSELs

The spectral purity of laser radiation is a key point in the performance of coherent optical network. As 850nm VCSELs are being used in short distance interconnections, the evaluation of the frequency noise level is essential. Using a Fabry-Perot cavity as a frequency discriminator, the frequency noise spectrum is being investigated in the medium frequency and high frequency range (up to 1GHz). Frequency noise spectra show a 1/fn part in the medium frequency domain and a traditional white noise part in the high frequency domain. The aim of this paper is to present our measurements concerning 850nm-selectively-oxidized VCSELs and to investigate the different factors which have a quantitative influence on the frequency noise spectrum.

Strongly sub-Poissonian electrical noise in 1.55-/spl mu/m DBR tunable laser diodes

We present a highly coherent semiconductor laser device formed by a ½-VCSEL structure and an external concave mirror in a millimetre high finesse stable cavity. The quantum well structure is diode-pumped by a commercial single mode GaAs laser diode system. This free running low noise tunable single-frequency laser exhibits >50mW output power in a low divergent circular TEM00 beam with a spectral linewidth below 1kHz and a relative intensity noise close to the quantum limit. This approach ensures, with a compact design, homogeneous gain behaviour and a sufficiently long photon lifetime to reach the oscillation-relaxation-free class-A regime, with a cut off frequency around 10MHz.