Four-wave mixing in a broad area semiconductor laser

Abstract

Four-wave mixing is performed in a broad area semiconductor laser to investigate nonlinear device behavior. The large transverse dimension of these devices allows the study of spatial as well as spectral characteristics.1 The design of amplifier systems using such devices depends on their nonlinearities. In particular, amplification of different frequencies (channels) is limited by the generation of mixing signals (crosstalk). Previous studies of four-wave mixing in semiconductor lasers were limited to single-stripe diodes.2,3