Facet Coatings Research Articles

High-speed operation of single-mode tunable quantum cascade laser based on ultra-short resonant cavity

We have demonstrated a room temperature, low power consumption, high-speed, and single-mode tunable quantum cascade laser at λ ∼ 4.6 µm. Combining a 300 µm buried hetero-structure ultra-short cavity with optimized facet coatings, a single-mode tuning range covering ∼40 nm is obtained at room temperature under low electrical power consumption below 1.1 W. The single-mode emission is observed with more than 25 dB side mode suppression ratio in the whole tuning range. The high frequency modulation is achieved with a microwave package, resulting in the −3 dB cutoff frequency of 5.6 GHz.

Continuous-wave operation of InAs/InP quantum dot tunable external-cavity laser grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61974141), Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and Science and Technology Innovation Bureau of China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.

We demonstrate high-performance broadband tunable external-cavity lasers (ECLs) with the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown InAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) structures. Without cavity facet coatings, the 3-dB spectral bandwidth of the Fabry–Perot (FP) laser is approximately 10.8 nm, while the tuning bandwidth of ECLs is 45 nm. Combined with the anti-reflection (AR) / high-reflection (HR) facet coating, a 92 nm bandwidth tuning range has been obtained with the wavelength covering from 1414 nm to 1506 nm. In most of the tuning range, the threshold current density is lower than 1.5 kA/cm2. The maximum output power of 6.5 mW was achieved under a 500 mA injection current. All achievements mentioned above were obtained under continuous-wave (CW) mode at room temperature (RT).

High power continuous wave operation of single mode quantum cascade lasers up to 5 W spanning λ∼3.8-8.3 µm.

In this work, we report high power continuous wave room-temperature operation single mode quantum cascade lasers in the mid-infrared spectral range from 3.8 to 8.3 µm. Single mode robustness and dynamic range are enhanced by optimizing the distributed feedback grating coupling design and the facet coatings. High power single mode operation is secured by circumventing the over-coupling issue and spatial hole burning effect. Maximum single-facet continuous-wave output power of 5.1 W and wall plug efficiency of 16.6% is achieved at room temperature. Single mode operation with a side mode suppression ratio of 30 dB and single-lobed far field with negligible beam steering is observed. The significantly increased power for single mode emission will boost the QCL applications in long-range free-space communication and remote sensing of hazardous chemicals.

Design and simulation of losses in Ge/SiGe terahertz quantum cascade laser waveguides.

The waveguide losses from a range of surface plasmon and double metal waveguides for Ge/Si1-xGex THz quantum cascade laser gain media are investigated at 4.79 THz (62.6 μm wavelength). Double metal waveguides demonstrate lower losses than surface plasmonic guiding with minimum losses for a 10 μm thick active gain region with silver metal of 21 cm-1 at 300 K reducing to 14.5 cm-1 at 10 K. Losses for silicon foundry compatible metals including Al and Cu are also provided for comparison and to provide a guide for gain requirements to enable lasers to be fabricated in commercial silicon foundries. To allow these losses to be calculated for a range of designs, the complex refractive index of a range of nominally undoped Si1-xGex with x = 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 and doped Ge heterolayers were extracted from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements between 0.1 and 10 THz and from 300 K down to 10 K. The results demonstrate losses comparable to similar designs of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade laser plasmon waveguides indicating that a gain threshold of 15.1 cm-1 and 23.8 cm-1 are required to produce a 4.79 THz Ge/SiGe THz laser at 10 K and 300 K, respectively, for 2 mm long double metal waveguide quantum cascade lasers with facet coatings.

Thermoreflectance-Based Measurement of Facet Optical Absorption in High Power Diode Lasers

Severe heating due to partial absorption of outcoupled emission at the facet of a high-power diode laser can lead to catastrophic optical damage. The degree of absorption and subsequent heating at the facet is a function of the emission wavelength, the absorption properties of facet coatings and passivation layers, and the age of the device. The ability to quantify facet absorption is an essential step toward improving the reliability and maximum output power of diode laser systems. In this work, we have developed a technique to measure facet absorption in diode lasers using a combination of facet thermoreflectance imaging and a heat transport model. The approach can be used for a wide range of both coated and uncoated diode lasers.

Study on DFB Semiconductor Laser Based on Sampled Moiré Grating Integrated With Grating Reflector

We propose a new kind of distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser based on the sampled Moire grating (SMG) integrated with a grating reflector (GR). Coupling coefficient along the laser cavity can be controlled, and $\pi $ phase shift ( $\pi $ -PS) can be introduced by SMG. The GR, which is a uniform sampled grating, can provide light reflection instead of high reflection (HR) facet coating. Thus, the front and rear facets are both coated with anti-reflection coatings (AR/AR) to avoid the influence of random grating phase at the HR facet. Therefore, more output power, better single longitudinal mode (SLM) operation, and higher wavelength precision can be simultaneously achieved, compared with traditional DFB lasers with AR/HR facet coatings. As an example, an 8-channel DFB laser array based on the proposed structure has been simulated. The proposed laser may benefit the applications requiring both high output power and wavelength precision, such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems and gas sensors.

Narrow-Strip Single-Longitudinal-Mode Laser Based on Periodic Anodes Defined by i-Line Lithography

A low-cost regrowth-free narrow-strip single-longitudinal-mode diode laser, based on periodic anodes defined only by i-line lithography is proposed. With the periodic anodes separated by surface insulated grooves acting as a 44th-order gain grating, a high gain contrast is achieved without introducing effective index coupling. The CW output power of the device without facet coatings is up to 100.9 mW/facet at 980.63 nm in single-longitudinal-mode operation with a single facet having a power conversion efficiency of up to 18.6% and a slope efficiency of 0.53 W/A. The highest side-mode suppression ratio is 45 dB with a linewidth below 889 MHz, at 350 mA. The beam parameter product, M ${\,}^{2}$ , in the slow axis is 1.85, achieving a near diffraction-limited beam quality. A novel method for easy surface gratings fabrication is first presented, wherein, 4-μm-width periodic surface grooves, acting as waveguide ridges, are defined once by i-line lithography only without regrowth, nanoscale gratings fabrication, or facet coating. Owing to the low-cost fabrication methods and good performances, our single-longitudinal-mode devices can be used for widespread practical applications.

Demonstration of enhanced continuous-wave operation of blue laser diodes on a semipolar 202¯1¯ GaN substrate using indium-tin-oxide/thin-p-GaN cladding layers.

The benefits of utilizing transparent conductive oxide on top of a thin p-GaN layer for continuous-wave (CW) operation of blue laser diodes (LDs) were investigated. A very low operating voltage of 5.35 V at 10 kA/cm2 was obtained for LDs with 250 nm thick p-GaN compared to 7.3 V for LDs with conventional 650 nm thick p-GaN. An improved thermal performance was also observed for the thin p-GaN samples resulting in a 40% increase in peak light output power and a 32% decrease in surface temperature. Finally, a tradeoff was demonstrated between low operating voltage and increased optical modal loss in the indium tin oxide (ITO) with thinner p-GaN. LDs lasing at 445 nm with 150 nm thick p-GaN had an excess modal loss while LDs with an optimal 250 nm thick p-GaN resulted in optical output power of 1.1 W per facet without facet coatings and a wall-plug efficiency of 15%.

镀膜对2.0 μm锑化物激光器性能的提升

镀膜对2.0 μm锑化物激光器性能的提升

Lateral mode control in edge-emitting lasers with modified mirrors

We present a study on lateral mode control in edge-emitting lasers with profiled mirror reflectivity. The object was to eliminate high-order lateral modes in conventional ridge-waveguide InAs/InGaAs QD (quantum dot) lasers with the stripe width of 10 μm. We have used a FIB (focused ion beam) technique to selectively etch windows in the AR (anti-reflection) facet coatings in order to introduce extra mirror losses for the high order modes. This approach allowed us to eliminate the first-order mode lasing without deterioration of the laser parameters. We suppose that further optimisation of the laser heterostructure and window designs may lead to a pure lateral single-mode lasing in the broadened ridge waveguides.

Demonstration of a III-nitride edge-emitting laser diode utilizing a GaN tunnel junction contact.

We demonstrate a III-nitride edge emitting laser diode (EELD) grown on a (2021) bulk GaN substrate with a GaN tunnel junction contact for hole injection. The tunnel junction was grown using a combination of metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) and ammonia-based molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) which allowed to be regrown over activated p-GaN. For a laser bar with dimensions of 1800 µm x 2.5 µm, without facet coatings, the threshold current was 284 mA (6.3 kA/cm2) and the single facet slope efficiency was 0.33 W/A (12% differential efficiency). A differential resistivity at high current density of 2.3 × 10-4 Ω cm2 was measured.

Analysis of Tunable Internal Loss Caused by Franz–Keldysh Absorption in Transistor Lasers

The Franz–Keldysh (FK) absorption at the base-collector junction of a transistor laser (TL) is inevitable because of the reverse bias therein. The bias condition, thus, plays a crucial role in the determination of internal loss of TLs. In this study, effects from various facet coatings of edge-emitting TLs on the internal loss ( $\alpha _{{\rm int}}$ ), which is influenced by the FK absorption, are investigated. Experimental analyses on the electrical and optical characteristics of these TLs at various temperatures are presented. The $\alpha _{{\rm int}}$ of different coated devices at various bias voltages are then extracted from their light-versus-current curves. We demonstrate that the internal loss resulted from the FK absorption is bias dependent, and therefore tunable. By contrast, the intense field inside the cavity with highly reflective coatings on both facets may saturate the FK absorption and make it less bias controllable.

Degradation Analysis of Facet Coating in GaAs-Based High-Power Laser Diodes

The facet coating of GaAs-based laser diodes (LDs) stressed by constant current was studied in detail using focused ion beam, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. Our analysis found that, for Si/Al 2O 3 facet coating, silicon near the active area exposed to high laser intensity becomes diffused, making it thicker than the Si layer outside the active area. Oxygen diffused into the Si layer and the Si layer got oxidized. Such change of facet-coating thickness and composition causes the facet reflectivity to fluctuate and carriers to recombine nonradioactively and eventually lead to catastrophic optical damage. We conclude that the performance of LDs could be improved by optimizing their facet coating.

Broadband tunable InAs/InP quantum dot external-cavity laser emitting around 1.55 μm.

We report a broadband tunable external-cavity laser based on InAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. It is found that high AsH₃ flow during the interruption after QD deposition greatly promotes QD ripening, which improves the optical gain of QD active medium in lower energy states. Combined with anti-reflection/high-reflection facet coatings, a broadly tunable InAs/InP QD external-cavity laser was realized with a tuning range of 140.4 nm across wavelengths from 1436.6 nm to 1577 nm at a maximum output power of 6 mW.

High power laser diodes of 2 μm AlGaAsSb/InGaSb type I quantum-wells**Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Nos. 2014CB643903, 2013CB932904, 2011CB922201), the National Special Funds for the Development of Major Research Equipment and Instruments, China (No. 2012YQ140005), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61274013, U1037602, 61290303), and the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the

2 μm AlGaAsSb/InGaSb type-I quantum-well high-power laser diodes (LDs) are grown using molecular beam epitaxy. Stripe-type waveguide single LD (single emitter) and array LD (four emitters) devices without facet coatings are fabricated. For the single LDs (single emitter) device, the maximum output power under continuous wave (CW) operation is 0.5 W at 10 °C with a threshold current density of 150 A/cm2 and a slope efficiency of 0.17 W/A, the output powers under the pulse mode in the 5% duty cycles are much higher, up to 0.98 W. For the array LD devices, the maximum output powers are 1.02 W under the CW mode and 3.03 W under the pulse mode at room temperature.

Broadband high-reflective distributed Bragg reflectors based on amorphous silicon films for semiconductor laser facet coatings.

We fabricated amorphous silicon (a-Si)-based distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) consisting of alternating dense/porous films (i.e., pair) for a center wavelength (λ(c)) of 0.96 μm by oblique angle deposition (OAD) technique using an electron-beam evaporation system. The dense (high refractive index, i.e., high-n) and porous (low-n) a-Si films were deposited at two incident vapor flux angles of 0° and 80° in the OAD, respectively. Their optical reflectance characteristics were investigated in the wavelength range of 0.6-1.5 μm, including theoretical comparison using a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method. Above three pairs, the reflectivity (R) of a-Si DBRs was almost saturated at wavelengths around 0.96 μm, exhibiting R values of >97%. For the a-Si DBR with only three pairs, a broad normalized stop bandwidth (Δλ/λ(c)) of ∼22.5% was obtained at wavelengths of ∼0.87-1.085 μm, keeping high R values of >95%. To simply demonstrate the feasibility of device applications, the a-Si DBR with three pairs was coated as a high-reflection layer at the rear facet of GaAs/InGaAs quantum-well laser diodes (LDs) operating at λ=0.96 μm. For the LDs coated with three-pair a-Si DBR, external differential quantum efficiency (η(d)) was nearly doubled compared to the uncoated LDs, indicating the η(d) value of ∼50.6% (i.e., η(d)∼25.5% for the uncoated LDs).

The Characteristics of Facet Coatings on Diode Lasers

The effect of the output power with different facet passivation methods on 980 nm graded index waveguide structure InGaAs/AlGaAs laser diodes was studied. The output power of the 980 nm laser diodes with Si passivation, and ZnSe passivation at the front and the back facet were compared. The test results show that output power of the ZnSe passivation method is 11% higher than Si passivation method. The laser diode with the Si passivation film is failure when current is 5.1 A, the laser diode with the ZnSe passivation film is not failure until current is 5.6 A And we analyzed the failure reasons for each method. In conclusion, the method of coated ZnSe passivation on the laser diode facet can effectively increase the output power of semiconductor lasers.

Effect of antireflection facet coatings on the characteristics of a high-power red laser diode

We investigated the effect of antireflection (AR) coatings on the performance of high-power red laser diodes (LDs). The AR coating at the front facet and the high reflection (HR) coating at the rear facet were deposited on cleaved facets. As an AR coating, SiO2 or Si3N4 single layers with different thicknesses were employed. When the reflectivity of the AR coating was 25%, the best LD performance was obtained. The fitting to the threshold current density vs. effective optical length plot produced a transparent current density of 310 A/cm2. Under continuous wave (cw) operation at 15 °C, the operating current was 1.41 A, and the operating voltage was 2.33 V with an optical output of 280 mW. At an operating temperature of 0 °C, we observed the maximum output power of about 390 mW.

High-power low-divergence tapered quantum cascade lasers with plasmonic collimators

We demonstrate a tapered quantum cascade laser with sloped side-walls emitting a high-brightness single-lobe beam at 8.1 μm with a peak power of 4 W at room temperature. Using a combination of high and low reflectivity facet coatings, the power output is increased to 6.2 W while a high beam quality is maintained. Plasmonic collimators are fabricated on the facet of the uncoated lasers without compromising power output, demonstrating the viability of this beam-shaping strategy for high-power lasers. The collimated lasers emit a beam with a more circular cross-section, which is more amenable to high-efficiency coupling into mid-infrared optical fibers.

Temperature Compensation for Threshold Current and Slope Efficiency of 1.3 μm InAs/GaAs Quantum-Dot Lasers by Facet Coating Design

We demonstrate a technique of temperature compensation for 1.3μm InAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) lasers by facet coating design. The key point of the technique is to make sure that the mirror loss of the lasers decreases as the temperature rises. To realize this, we design a type of facet coating by shifting the central wavelength of the facet coating from 1310nm to 1480nm, whose reflectivity increases as the emission wavelength of the lasers red-shifts. Consequently, the laser with the new facet coating exhibits a characteristic temperature doubled in size and a more stable slope efficiency in the temperature range from 10°C to 70°C, compared with the traditional one with a temperature-independent mirror loss.