S. Forouhar

High-performance InAs quantum-dot lasers near 1.3 μm

High-performance quantum dot (QD) lasers near 1.3 μm were fabricated using four stacks of InAs QDs embedded within strained InGaAs quantum wells as an active region and a reactive-ion-etched 5-μm-ridge waveguide design. For a 1.5-mm-long cavity QD laser, ground-state continuous-wave (cw) lasing has been achieved with a single facet output power of 15 mW at temperatures as high as 100u200a°C, while at room temperature having a differential quantum efficiency of 55% and a single facet output power of 50 mW. The characteristic temperature T0 for ground-state cw lasing is 78 K up to our temperature measurement limit of 100u200a°C.

Reliable mid-infrared laterally-coupled distributed-feedback interband cascade lasers

We report on the performance and reliability of laterally-coupled distributed-feedback (DFB) interband cascade lasers designed to operate at 3.6u2009μm wavelength. A two-step ridge etch process ensures single-transverse-mode operation with minimal lateral current spreading, and a second-order Bragg grating etched alongside the ridge waveguide imposes single-mode DFB operation. Life tests performed on four randomly selected lasers, continuously operating at 40u2009°C with output power >10 mW, showed no measurable degradation after each laser was operated continuously for more than 1500u2009h.

High-power operation of highly reliable narrow stripe pseudomorphic single quantum well lasers emitting at 980 nm

Ridge waveguide pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs single-quantum-well lasers exhibiting record high quantum efficiencies and high output power densities (105 mW per facet from a 6 mu m wide stripe) at a lasing wavelength of 980 nm are discussed that were fabricated from a graded index separate confinement heterostructure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Life testing at an output power of 30 mW per uncoated facet reveals a slow gradual degradation during the initial 500 h of operation after which the operating characteristics of the lasers become stable. The emission wavelength, the high output power, and the fundamental lateral mode operation render these lasers suitable for pumping Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifiers.<<ETX>>

The MVACS tunable diode laser spectrometers

Two independent tunable diode laser spectrometers are resident aboard the Mars Polar Lander as part of the Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor payload. One spectrometer is located on the meteorological mast for measurements of H2O and CO2 in the free atmosphere, and the other serves as the H2O and CO2 analyzer for the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer. Water vapor is measured using a tunable diode laser operating at 1.37 μm, while CO2 is measured using a second laser operating near 2.05 μm. The 2.05 μm laser also has isotopic analysis capability. In addition to the major CO2 isotopomer (12C16O16O), analyses of 13C16O16O and 12C18O16O in the atmosphere and in the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer are possible under certain conditions. The spectrometers were designed and built at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and have their heritage in a series of tunable diode laser spectrometers developed for Earth atmospheric studies using high-altitude aircraft and balloon platforms. The 1.37 μm diode laser on the meteorological mast will provide the first in situ measurements of water vapor in the Martian boundary layer, with a detection sensitivity an order of magnitude greater than the water vapor abundances inferred from the remote-sensing observations by the Viking Orbiters.

Single-mode 2.65 µm InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb laterally coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers for atmospheric gas detection

We demonstrate index-coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers at 2.65 µm that are capable of tuning across strong absorption lines of HDO and other isotopologues of H2O. The lasers employ InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb multi-quantum-well structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb, and single-mode emission is generated using laterally coupled second-order Bragg gratings etched alongside narrow ridge waveguides. We verify near-critical coupling of the gratings by analyzing the modal characteristics of lasers of different length. With an emission facet anti-reflection coating, 2-mm-long lasers exhibit a typical current threshold of 150 mA at 20 °C and are capable of emitting more than 25 mW in a single longitudinal mode, which is significantly higher than the output power reported for loss-coupled distributed-feedback lasers operating at similar wavelengths.

Regrowth-free single-mode quantum cascade lasers with power consumption below 1 W

We report on single-mode distributed-feedback quantum cascade lasers emitting at 4.8u2009μm with continuous-wave threshold power consumption as low as 0.76u2009W at 20u2009°C and 0.98u2009W at 50u2009°C. Following growth of the laser active region and semiconductor cladding layers by a single molecular beam epitaxy process, devices with 4-μm-wide ridges and vertical sidewall gratings were fabricated using plasma etching and standard dielectric and metal deposition processes. In terms of mode stability, output power, and efficiency, we show that lasers with 1-mm cavity length and high-reflectivity back-facet coatings can match the performance of buried heterostructure devices, but with the advantage of requiring only a single epitaxial growth step.

A 980 nm pseudomorphic single quantum well laser for pumping erbium-doped optical fiber amplifiers

The authors have fabricated ridge waveguide pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs GRIN-SCH SQW (graded-index separate-confinement-heterostructure single-quantum-well) lasers, emitting at 980 nm, with a maximum output power of 240 mW from one facet and a 22% coupling efficiency into as 1.55- mu m single-mode optical fiber. These lasers satisfy the requirements on efficient and compact pump sources for Er/sup 3+/-doped fiber amplifiers.<<ETX>>

Highly efficient pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs single quantum well lasers for monolithic integration

Highly efficient ridge waveguide pseudomorphic single quantum well lasers, emitting at 980 nm, have been fabricated from an In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs/AlGaAs graded‐index separate confinement heterostructure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The lateral index guiding provided by the ridge reduces the anomalously large lateral loss of optical power found in gain‐guided structures, thereby reducing the internal loss by more than 50%. The low threshold current (7.6 mA) and high differential quantum efficiency (79%) obtained under continuous operation as well as the transparency of the GaAs substrate to the emitted radiation render these lasers attractive for GaAs‐based optoelectronic integration.

The 3.0–3.2 µm wavelength range narrow ridge waveguide Sb-based semiconductor diode lasers operating up to 333 K

We have demonstrated Fabry–Perot single spatial mode antimonide-based type-I quantum-well ridge waveguide semiconductor diode lasers operating at 3.0–3.2 µm wavelength in continuous mode up to 333 K. Internal optical loss in narrow ridge devices was significantly reduced by using thick Si3N4 dielectric films for planarization. The fabricated lasers operate in CW mode at room temperature with output powers exceeding 5 mW and have power consumption of less than 0.2 W at the output power of 1 mW, which is the power level needed in many gas sensing applications.

Single-mode high-power interband cascade lasers for mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy.

For high-sensitivity absorption spectroscopy, single-mode light sources capable of emitting high optical output power in the 3 to 5 µm wavelength range are vital. Here, we report on interband cascade lasers that emit 20 mW of optical power in a single spectral mode at room temperature and up to 40 mW at 0 °C using second-order laterally coupled Bragg gratings for distributed feedback. The lasers employ a double-ridge design with a narrow 3-µm-wide top ridge to confine the optical mode and a 9-µm-wide ridge for current confinement. The lasers were developed for an integrated cavity output spectroscopy instrument for stratospheric detection of hydrogen chloride at a wavelength of 3.3746 µm and emit at the target wavelength with more than 34 mW of single-mode power.