Title :
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
fDate :
11/1/1999 12:00:00 AM
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;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
