Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Laser Diodes
Laser Diodes
LASER DIODES
For higher Bandwidth (GHz)
Laser diodes have
Response time less than 1ns
GHz Bandwidth
Spectral width of the order of nm or less
High output power
Narrow beam (good coupling to single mode
fibers)
Cont
Lasing medium can be a gas, a liquid, solid or
a semiconductor.
For optical fiber systems, exclusively
semiconductor laser diodes are used.
LASER is Light Amplification by Stimulated
Emission of Radiation.
Produces optical radiation by the process
of stimulated emission.
LASER ACTION
Three main process for laser action:
1- Photon Absorption
2- Spontaneous Emission
3- Stimulated Emission
LASER ACTION
Population Inversion should be achieved
Number of electrons in the excited state should
always be greater than the number of electrons in the
ground state.
Pumping process should takes place
Injecting electrons into material at the device
contacts.
Fabry-Perot Resonator
LASER MODES
The optical radiation within the resonance cavity of a laser diode
sets up the pattern of electric and magnetic field lines called the
modes of the cavity.
Longitudinal modes
related to the L of the cavity
Determines the principal structure of the frequency spectrum
of the emitted optical radiation
Lateral modes
lies in the plane of pn junction
Depends on the side wall preparation and width of the cavity
Determines the lateral profile of the Laser beam
Transverse modes
Lie in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the pn
junction.
Determine laser characteristics such as radiation pattern and
the threshold density.
E ( z , t ) I ( z ) e j ( t z )
[1]
I ( z ) I (0) exp g (h ) (h ) z
[2]
n1
R1
Z=0
R2
n2
Z=L
I (2 L) I (0) R1 R2 exp g (h ) (h ) (2 L)
[3]
I ( 2 L ) I ( 0)
exp( j 2 L) 1
[4]
gth
= t =
+
end g th 1 ln 1
2 L R1 R2
[5]
g th J th
[6]
The relationship between optical output power and diode drive current
can be determined using the rate equations that govern the interaction
of photons and electrons in the active region. For active (carrier
confinement) region of depth d, the rate equations are:
Cn Rsp
dt
ph
[4-25]
dn
J
n
Cn
dt qd sp
electron rate injection spontaneous recombination stimulated emission
C : Coefficient expressing the intensity of the optical emission & absorption process
Rsp : rate of spontaneous emission into the lasing mode
0, d / dt 0, Rsp 0
1
0n
nth
C ph
[4-26]
J th nth
nth
0
J th qd
qd sp
sp
[4-27]
ph
J
nth
Cnth
qd
sp
[4-28]
ph
s
( J J th ) ph Rsp
qd
0.8065[ m]
E g dI
dI (mA)
i 60% 70%;
[4-29]
exp( j 2 L) 1
Assuming
mth mode is:
mc
m
2 Ln
2n
2 L 2m , m 1,2,3,...
the resonant frequency of the
m 1,2,3,...
c
2
m m 1
2 Ln
2 Ln
[4-30]
[4-31]
( 0 )
g ( ) g (0) exp
2 2
: spectral width
[4-32]
VCSEL
2ne
B
k
[4-33]
ph
c
1
1 c
g th
ln
n
2 L R1 R2 n
[4-36]
1
f
2
sp ph
1
I th
1/ 2
[4-37]
t d ln
Ip
I p ( I B I th )
[4-38]
I th (T ) I z e
T / T0
Linearity of Laser
Information carrying
electrical signal s(t)
Nonlinearity
x(t)
y(t)
x(t ) A cos t
y (t ) A0 A1 cos t A2 cos 2t ...
Nth order harmonic distortion:
An
20 log
A1
Intermodulation Distortion
x(t ) A1 cos 1t A2 cos 2 t
y (t ) Bmn cos(m1 n 2 )t
m,n 0,1,2,...
m,n
Harmonics:
n 1 , m 2
Intermodulated Terms:
1 2 ,21 2 , 1 2 2 ,...
Laser Noise