Experimental measurements and theory of first passage time in pulse-modulated semiconductor lasers

The statistical properties of the first passage time T, the time delay between the electrical switch on instant and the attainment of a fixed value of the output optical power in pulse-modulated semiconductor lasers, are measured by three different techniques. The measurements show that for lasers initially biased under threshold, the amount of time jitter defined as the standard deviation of T, is systematically larger in single-mode than in multimode lasers and is essentially determined by the value of the output optical power corresponding to the on state. An analytical theory which gives the reason for the phenomenon is also developed. Computer simulations of the process in agreement with the experimental and theoretical results are presented