Tunable Laser Diodes and Related Optical Sources

Foreword.
Preface.

1 Introduction.

2 Fundamental Laser Diode Characteristics.

2.1 Optical Gain in Semiconductors.

2.2 Semiconductor Heterostructures.

2.2.1 Carrier Confinement.

2.2.2 Optical Confinement.

2.2.3 Material Systems.

2.3 Waveguiding and Transverse Laser Modes.

2.3.1 The Slab Waveguide.

2.3.2 Lateral Waveguiding.

2.4 Laser Structures.

2.5 The Fabry-Perot Laser.

2.6 The Rate Equations.

2.6.1 Stationary Solution of the Rate Equations.

2.6.2 Laser Spectrum and Side-Mode Suppression.

2.6.3 Small-Signal Modulation Behavior.

2.7 Quantum Well Laser Diodes.

3 Single-Mode Laser Diodes.

3.1 Mode Selectivity Requirements.

3.2 Wave Propagation in Periodic Structures.

3.2.1 Alternative Derivation of the Coupled-Mode Equations.

3.2.2 Solution of the Coupled-Mode Equations.

3.3 Distributed Bragg-Reflector Lasers.

3.3.1 Magnitude and Phase of Reflection.

3.3.2 Grating Shapes.

3.3.3 DBR Laser Structures.

3.4 Distributed-Feedback Lasers.

3.4.1 DFB Laser With Nonreflecting Facets.

3.4.2 DFB Lasers With Reflecting Facets.

3.4.3 Phase-Shifted and Gain-Coupled DFB Lasers.

3.5 Laser Fabrication and Tolerances.

3.5.1 Wavelength Dependence on Structural Parameters.

3.5.2 Thermal Properties under CW Operation.

3.6 Spectral Linewidth.

4 Basic Concepts of Tunable Laser Diodes.

4.1 Continuous, Discontinuous, and Quasicontinuous Tuning Schemes.

4.2 Tuning of Cavity Gain Characteristic.

4.3 Tuning of Comb-Mode Spectrum.

4.4 Simultaneous Tuning of Cavity Gain and Comb-Mode Spectrum.

4.5 Electronic Wavelength Control.

4.5.1 The Free-Carrier Plasma Effect.

4.5.2 The Quantum-Confined Stark Effect.

4.5.3 Thermal Tuning.

4.6 Integration Techniques.

4.7 Dynamic Behavior.

5 Wavelength-Tunable Single-Mode Laser Diodes.

5.1 Longitudinally Integrated Structures.

5.1.1 Two-Section DBR Laser.

5.1.2 Three-Section DBR Laser.

5.1.3 Multisection DFB

JENS BUUS, PhD, is a fellow of the IEEE whose research has made numerous contributions to the understanding of the properties of semiconductor lasers and optical waveguides. He holds five patents and has written two earlier books. A popular speaker, Dr. Buus has presented tutorials and short courses at major conferences, including: ECOC, OFC, EFOC, and the IEEE International Semiconductor Laser Conference.

MARKUS-CHRISTIAN AMANN, PhD, is Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Walter Schottky Institute of the Technical University of Munich, Germany. In addition to over 200 publications, conference papers and book chapters, he is a frequent tutorial speaker and short-course presenter on semiconductor lasers, and has served on numerous conference committees such as CLEO, IEEE Semiconductor Laser Conference, IEEE LEOS annual meeting, ECIO and APOC. His present research areas are wavelength-tunable laser diodes, long-wavelength surface-emitting lasers, and microwave semiconductors.

DANIEL J. BLUMENTHAL, PhD, is Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In addition to being a Fellow of the IEEE/LEOS and member of the OSA, Professor Blumenthal is also an associate editor for IEEE Photonics Technology Letters and has served as associate and guest editor for several other IEEE publications. Along with publishing several hundred journal articles, conference presentations, magazine articles, and book chapters, he has served as chairman or on the organizing committees of numerous conferences, including OFC, ECOC, OSA Topical Meeting on Photonics in Switching and CLEO. Professor Blumenthal's current research areas include optical wavelength conversion and regeneration, optical packet switching and photonic integration.