Richard Schatz

Analog modulation properties of oxide confined VCSELs at microwave frequencies

Motivated by the need for affordable, high-performance fiber-optic microwave links in fiber-fed microcellular networks and radar systems, we have performed a comprehensive experimental evaluation of the microwave modulation characteristics of high-speed oxide-confined vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting at 840 nm. VCSELs with different oxide aperture diameters, including both single- and multimode lasers, have been used to track the dependence on modal behavior. The study includes both static and dynamic characteristics, with an emphasis on those of major importance for analog modulation. This includes the small-signal modulation response (S/sub 11/ and S/sub 21/), the relative intensity noise (RIN), and the intermodulation distortion. From this, we determine the spurious free dynamic range, the impedance characteristics, and the speed limitations.

Steady state model for facet heating leading to thermal runaway in semiconductor lasers

A steady state model is presented which provides new insight into the thermal runaway process that leads to catastrophic damage of semiconductor lasers. We show that thermal runaway is preceded by a situation where two self consistent thermal steady state solutions exist at low output power, one stable and one unstable. When the output power is increased, the two solutions degenerate and disappear which means that the laser will enter thermal runaway. The steady state model consists of two parts: a three dimensional thermal model and a one dimensional model for the carrier diffusion towards the facet. The temperature dependence of both the heat sources and the thermal conductivity play the crucial role. Also ordinary bulk heating is shown to be an important factor. Both 0.88 μm GaAs lasers and 1.5 μm InGaAsP lasers are discussed and minimum values of surface recombination and output power needed for thermal runaway are given. Thermal runaway in GaAs lasers can be explained by the model for realistic value...

Extended modulation bandwidth of DBR and external cavity lasers by utilizing a cavity resonance for equalization

We have investigated the occurrence of a second resonance frequency in distributed Bragg reflector laser diodes and the high modulation bandwidth resulting from it. The influence of different laser parameters has been theoretically investigated. It is also shown that a similar behavior can be obtained in laser diodes with a passive, low-loss, and gratingless external cavity. The possibilities of large-signal digital modulation are also investigated.

Longitudinal spatial instability in symmetric semiconductor lasers due to spatial hole burning

A novel type of longitudinal instability due to spatial hole burning in symmetric semiconductor laser structures (DFB lasers in particular) is examined analytically and numerically. It is shown that, at a certain output power, the gain and refractive index spatial distributions of the lasing mode become unstable. Above this output power, the modal gains and oscillation frequencies change drastically, which often causes multimode operation. A measure of the cavity stability is introduced and derived analytically for a Fabry-Perot and a single phase-shifted DFB laser. Results from numerical simulations of a multiple phase-shifted DFB laser are presented. >

Temperature sensitivity of the threshold current of long-wavelength InGaAs-GaAs VCSELs with large gain-cavity detuning

Record-long emission wavelengths up to 1.3 /spl mu/m have recently been demonstrated from highly strained InGaAs-GaAs double-quantum-well (DQW) vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). The operation of InGaAs VCSELs at such long wavelengths has relied on a large detuning between the spectral positions of QW gain maximum and cavity resonance. This detuning also affects the high-temperature performance and temperature sensitivity of such devices. In this paper, we present and evaluate the threshold current-temperature characteristic of such lasers in relation to the gain-cavity detuning at room temperature (RT). For a near-zero gain peak offset from the emission wavelength at RT, the minimum threshold current is found at the temperature where the gain peak wavelength and the cavity resonance are approximately aligned. This is well in line with a common design rule for GaAs-based VCSELs. However, we show that this design rule fails in the case of larger gain-cavity misalignment at RT. Instead, a minimum threshold current is obtained considerably below the temperature of zero gain offset. We propose a conceptual model that relates the gain-cavity detuning at RT to the temperature sensitivity of the active region performance, which qualitatively describes the threshold current-temperature characteristic typical of VCSELs. The results demonstrate the importance of improving the temperature characteristic of the active region in order to reduce the high temperature sensitivity of devices with large detuning.

Modulation response measurements and evaluation of MQW InGaAsP lasers of various designs

Results from modulation measurements of 40 high-speed multi quantum well (MQW) lasers ((lambda) equals 1.55 micrometer) of various designs are presented. By fitting the careful calibrated measurements, both magnitude and phase, to an analytical transfer function we were able to determine if a certain laser was limited by thermal effects, parasitic-like effects, or nonlinear gain effects. We found that most of the devices in the study were limited by thermal effects and/or contact parasitics. The parasitics were found to be determined by the width of the high-doped contact layer and cladding layers below the metallic contact. It was also found that a high doping of the separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layers decreases the damping of the relaxation peak since it facilitates the carrier transport. Improved contact design and high doped SCH-layers resulted in modulation bandwidths of around 24 GHz.

Monolithically Integrated 100 GHz DFB-TWEAM

A monolithically integrated distributed feedback (DFB) laser and traveling-wave electro-absorption modulator (TWEAM) with ges 100 GHz -3 dBe bandwidth suitable for Non-return-to-zero (NRZ) operation with on-off keying (OOK) is presented. The steady-state, small-signal modulation response, microwave reflection, chirp characteristic, and both data operation and transmission were investigated. The DFB-TWEAM was found to be an attractive candidate for future short distance communication in high bitrates systems.

Dynamics of spatial hole burning effects in DFB lasers

A lumped small-signal model for intensity and frequency modulation response of semiconductor lasers, including the effects of longitudinal spatial hole burning (SHB), is presented. It is shown that the laser dynamics including SHB-effects can be accurately described by three small-signal rate equations. The simplicity of the model gives new insight into SHB-effects on modulation response and cavity state stability. It is shown that SHB-effects have a cut-off frequency that depends on the carrier lifetime (including stimulated recombination) and the feedback of perturbations in the longitudinal intensity distribution during modulation. >

The effect of stitching errors on the spectral characteristics of DFB lasers fabricated using electron beam lithography

Field stitching errors and their effect on the single-mode characteristics of distributed feedback (DFB) lasers fabricated using electron beam lithography were investigated. The stitching errors are associated with small-area, high-resolution electron beam exposure, which has the potential advantage of high-speed writing of laser gratings. Measurements show that the errors are composed of a systematic and a stochastic part. Their effect on the gain margin was simulated both for lambda /4 phase-shifted and optimized multiple-phase-shifted DFB lasers. Simulations show that the lasers are insensitive to the systematic part of the stitching errors if the number of errors is large enough. The stochastic part was found to give rise to a variation in gain margin of the DFB lasers. It is concluded that the field stitching accuracy in the high-resolution mode of a commercial system for electron beam lithography is sufficient to provide a high yield of single-mode lasers. However, it is essential that certain precautions be taken considering exposure conditions and that a fault tolerant laser design be used. >

Investigation on the spectral characteristics of DFB lasers with different grating configurations made by electron-beam lithography

The single-mode stability for distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers with various electron-beam-written grating configurations has been investigated theoretically and experimentally, for both as-cleaved and AR-coated lasers. Other laser properties interesting for coherent and multichannel communications systems, such as linewidth and tunability, have also briefly been investigated. Lasers with more sophisticated grating structures, such as an optimized multiple phase-shifted or a corrugation-pitch-modulated grating, did not exhibit performance significantly superior to that of lambda /4-shifted DFB lasers with an appropriate coupling coefficient. Antireflection (AR)-coating of the end facets proved indispensable for obtaining a high yield for lasers with single-mode operation at high output power and for reducing the large chip-to-chip variation seen for the as-cleaved lasers. A theoretical investigation of the effect of end reflections on the stopband and of the problem of determining the coupling coefficient was also made. >