Rate Equation Analysis of Q-Modulated Strongly Injection-Locked Whistle-Geometry Ring Lasers

In a monolithically integrated strongly injection-locked whistle-geometry semiconductor ring laser, modulating the photon lifetime or the optical losses in the cavity can lead to higher modulation bandwidth and complete elimination of low-frequency roll-off, which is commonly observed during the current modulation of injection-locked semiconductor lasers. Rate equation analysis is performed to show that modulating the photon-lifetime is significantly more advantageous than the conventional injection-current modulation. Different schemes to achieve photon-lifetime or optical-loss modulation in a strongly injection-locked whistle-geometry ring laser are discussed.