A full time-domain approach to spatio-temporal dynamics of active semiconductor devices

We present a finite-difference full time-domain model including the macroscopic Maxwell curl equations and the band-resolved semiconductor Bloch equations. A key element of our novel formulation is that neither the slowly varying amplitude nor the rotating wave approximation are necessary. This makes the model accurate to a broad frequency range. The propagation, amplification and reshaping of femtosecond pulses in active semiconductor amplifiers as well as optically pumped monolithic disk lasers with sub-wavelength refractive index structures and nonlinear gain or absorber elements are simulated.