TY - JOUR
T1 - Ultrafast switch-on dynamics of frequency-tuneable semiconductor lasers
AU - Kundu, Iman
AU - Wang, Feihu
AU - Qi, Xiaoqiong
AU - Nong, Hanond
AU - Dean, Paul
AU - Freeman, Joshua R.
AU - Valavanis, Alexander
AU - Agnew, Gary
AU - Grier, Andrew T.
AU - Taimre, Thomas
AU - Li, Lianhe
AU - Indjin, Dragan
AU - Mangeney, Juliette
AU - Tignon, Jérôme
AU - Dhillon, Sukhdeep S.
AU - Rakić, Aleksandar D.
AU - Cunningham, John E.
AU - Linfield, Edmund H.
AU - Davies, A. Giles
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the support from: the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK (‘COTS’ and ‘HyperTerahertz’ programmes, EP/J017671/1 and EP/P021859/1); European Union FET-Open grant ULTRAQCL 665158; the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action BM1205; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France; and a Royal Society International Exchange grant (IE120898). E.H.L. and A.G.D. are grateful for support from the Royal Society and Wolfson Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, The Author(s).
PY - 2018/12/1
Y1 - 2018/12/1
N2 - Single-mode frequency-tuneable semiconductor lasers based on monolithic integration of multiple cavity sections are important components, widely used in optical communications, photonic integrated circuits and other optical technologies. To date, investigations of the ultrafast switching processes in such lasers, essential to reduce frequency cross-talk, have been restricted to the observation of intensity switching over nanosecond-timescales. Here, we report coherent measurements of the ultrafast switch-on dynamics, mode competition and frequency selection in a monolithic frequency-tuneable laser using coherent time-domain sampling of the laser emission. This approach allows us to observe hopping between lasing modes on picosecond-timescales and the temporal evolution of transient multi-mode emission into steady-state single mode emission. The underlying physics is explained through a full multi-mode, temperature-dependent carrier and photon transport model. Our results show that the fundamental limit on the timescales of frequency-switching between competing modes varies with the underlying Vernier alignment of the laser cavity.
AB - Single-mode frequency-tuneable semiconductor lasers based on monolithic integration of multiple cavity sections are important components, widely used in optical communications, photonic integrated circuits and other optical technologies. To date, investigations of the ultrafast switching processes in such lasers, essential to reduce frequency cross-talk, have been restricted to the observation of intensity switching over nanosecond-timescales. Here, we report coherent measurements of the ultrafast switch-on dynamics, mode competition and frequency selection in a monolithic frequency-tuneable laser using coherent time-domain sampling of the laser emission. This approach allows us to observe hopping between lasing modes on picosecond-timescales and the temporal evolution of transient multi-mode emission into steady-state single mode emission. The underlying physics is explained through a full multi-mode, temperature-dependent carrier and photon transport model. Our results show that the fundamental limit on the timescales of frequency-switching between competing modes varies with the underlying Vernier alignment of the laser cavity.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41467-018-05601-x
DO - 10.1038/s41467-018-05601-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 30082762
AN - SCOPUS:85051258293
VL - 9
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
SN - 2041-1723
IS - 1
M1 - 3076
ER -