Analysis and applications of an optically-injected 1310 nm Quantum-Dot Distributed Feedback laser

Abstract

We review our experimental work on the generation of microwave (MW), millimeter-wave (MMW) and THz signals using a 1310-nm Quantum Dot (QD) Distributed-Feedback (DFB) laser. Continuous tunable MW signals with frequencies going from below 1 GHz to over 40 GHz are generated by means of the period-1 dynamics induced in the QD DFB laser when subject to external optical injection into the device's lasing mode. A new technique is also reported for the generation of MMW and THz signals with an optically-injected 1310nm-QD DFB laser. This technique is based on the dual-mode lasing and Four-Wave-Mixing arising in the QD laser under single-beam optical injection into one of its subsidiary Fabry-Perot (FP) modes. Tunability of the generated MMW and THz signals from 117 GHz to 954 GHz is also demonstrated. Coarse tunability is achieved by injecting the external light into different residual FP modes of the device, whilst fine tuneability is obtained by controlling the initial frequency detuning.