Highly unidirectional Y-junction S-section ring lasers

Semiconductor ring lasers show great promise for rotation sensing through the Sagnac effect of frequency shifting. Ensuring a controlled unidirectional operation of ring lasers can greatly benefit this application. An S-section racetrack design for semiconductor ring lasers was previously developed with the goal of favoring the waves traveling in a preselected direction and suppressing the counterpropagating waves. However, that design turned out to be not as effective as expected, with bistable behavior and directional switching over a wide range of pumping currents. We report on design, fabrication and characterization of Y-junction S-section InAs/InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dot ring lasers with improved unidirectionality. The new design suppresses the unwanted counterpropagating waves more effectively than it was possible in the previous S-section-racetrack design.

[1]  Andreas Stintz,et al.  Extremely low room-temperature threshold current density diode lasers using InAs dots in In/sub 0.15/Ga/sub 0.85/As quantum well , 1999 .

[2]  M. Osiński,et al.  Microwave frequency beating between monolithically integrated quantum-dot ring lasers , 2007 .

[3]  Daan Lenstra,et al.  Multi-state optical flip-flop memory based on ring lasers coupled through the same gain medium , 2007 .

[4]  A. Stintz,et al.  Gain and linewidth enhancement factor in InAs quantum-dot laser diodes , 1999, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[5]  H.J.S. Dorren,et al.  Ring-laser optical flip-flop memory with single active element , 2004, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[6]  M. Osinski,et al.  Large S-section-ring-cavity diode lasers: directional switching, electrical diagnostics, and mode beating spectra , 2005, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[7]  Marek Osinski,et al.  Frequency beating between monolithically integrated semiconductor ring lasers , 2005 .

[8]  C. Mirasso,et al.  Bistability and All-Optical Switching in Semiconductor Ring Lasers , 2007, 2007 9th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks.

[9]  M. Osiński,et al.  Monolithically integrated twin ring diode lasers for rotation sensing applications , 2006 .

[10]  A. Stintz,et al.  Optical characteristics of 1.24-μm InAs quantum-dot laser diodes , 1999, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[11]  John P. Hohimer,et al.  Unidirectional operation in a semiconductor ring diode laser , 1993, Optical Society of America Annual Meeting.

[12]  Siyuan Yu,et al.  Analysis of Dynamic Switching Behavior of Bistable Semiconductor Ring Lasers Triggered by Resonant Optical Pulse Injection , 2007, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[13]  A. Mar,et al.  All optical millimeter-wave electrical signal generation using an integrated mode-locked semiconductor ring laser and photodiode , 1997, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[14]  John P. Hohimer,et al.  Unidirectional semiconductor ring lasers with racetrack cavities , 1993 .

[15]  Michael H. Leary,et al.  Unidirectional operation of waveguide diode ring lasers , 1997 .

[16]  Marc Sorel,et al.  Integrated semiconductor laser rotation sensor , 1999, Photonics West.

[17]  Sargent.  Theory of a multimode quasiequilibrium semiconductor laser. , 1993, Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

[18]  D Fayoux,et al.  The ring laser gyro , 1988 .

[19]  A. Stintz,et al.  Efficient high-temperature CW lasing operation of oxide-confined long-wavelength InAs quantum dot lasers , 2000 .

[20]  Luke F. Lester,et al.  Highly unidirectional InAs∕InGaAs∕GaAs quantum-dot ring lasers , 2005 .