Simulation study on semiconductor laser mode locking using nonlinear coupling in multimode-interference waveguide amplifiers

Author

Jiann-Chang Li ; Kiang, Yean-Woei ; Yang, C.C.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Nat. Taiwan Univ., Taipei, Taiwan

Volume

35

Issue

11

fYear

1999

fDate

11/1/1999 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1630

Lastpage

1639

Abstract

The feasibility of a passively mode-locked semiconductor laser with a multimode-interference (MMI) waveguide amplifier is numerically studied using a two-dimensional time-domain beam-propagation method. In an appropriately designed ring cavity, a pulse can be compressed from a few hundred picoseconds to several picoseconds, as a result of the interplay between linear coupling and gain saturation in the MMI waveguide amplifier. The asymptotically stable pulse peak position and pulsewidth imply the feasibility of passively mode-locking semiconductor lasers. The frequency chirping of the compressed pulse and the lateral distribution of the output beam are numerically analyzed in detail. Our simulations show that mode locking can be implemented within a fairly broad range of injection current and cavity alignment

Keywords

chirp modulation; electro-optical modulation; laser mode locking; laser modes; laser stability; laser theory; optical pulse compression; optical saturation; semiconductor device models; semiconductor lasers; time-domain analysis; waveguide lasers; 2D time-domain beam-propagation method; MMI waveguide amplifier; asymptotically stable pulse peak position; cavity alignment; compressed pulse chirping; gain saturation; injection curr; multimode-interference waveguide amplifier; multimode-interference waveguide amplifiers; nonlinear coupling; passively mode-locked semiconductor laser; passively mode-locking semiconductor lasers; pulsewidth; semiconductor laser mode locking; simulation study; two-dimensional time-domain beam-propagation method; Laser mode locking; Optical pulses; Pulse amplifiers; Pulse compression methods; Ring lasers; Semiconductor lasers; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Semiconductor waveguides; Time domain analysis; Waveguide lasers;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/3.798086

Filename

798086