We report the fabrication and performance of the first C-band directly-written monolithic waveguide-laser. The waveguide-laser device was created in an Erbium and Ytterbium doped phosphate glass host and consisted of an optical waveguide that included a distributed feedback Bragg grating structure. The femtosecond laser direct-write technique was used to create both the waveguide and the waveguide-Bragg grating simultaneously and in a single processing step. The waveguide-laser was optically pumped at approximately 980 nm and lased at 1537nm with a bandwidth of less than 4 pm.
The supersymmetric (SUSY) structure of coupled-mode equations that describe scattering of optical waves in one-dimensional Bragg gratings is highlighted. This property can find applications to the synthesis of special Bragg filters and distributed-feedback (DFB) optical cavities. In particular, multiple SUSY (Darboux-Crum) transformations can be used to synthesize DFB filters with any desired number of resonances at target frequencies. As an example, we describe the design of a DFB structure with a set of equally-spaced resonances, i.e. a frequency comb transmission filter.
We report the first demonstration of a 1555 nm stepped-height ridge waveguide polarization mode converter monolithically integrated with a side wall grating distributed-feedback (DFB) laser using the identical epitaxial layer scheme. The device shows stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) operation with the output light converted from TE to TM polarization with an efficiency of >94% over a wide range of DFB injection currents (IDFB) from 140 mA to 190 mA. The highest TM mode purity of 98.2% was obtained at IDFB=180 mA. A particular advantage of this device is that only a single step of metalorg…
The phase synchronization of two semiconductor DFB lasers submitted to both frequency-shifted cross-injection and self-feedback is investigated, both numerically and experimentally. A dedicated setup based on monolithic DFB lasers permits to effectively lock the frequency difference of the two lasers on an external reference over a broad range of parameters. In agreement with a delayed rate equation model, it is shown that the sensitivity of the locking to the optical feedback phases is mitigated by using strong cross-injection, thus paving the way to applications for microwave photonics. Othe…
A femtosecond laser-written monolithic waveguide laser (WGL) oscillator based on a distributed feedback (DFB) architecture and fabricated in ytterbium doped phosphate glass is reported. The device lased at 1033 nm with an output power of 102 mW and a bandwidth less than 2 pm when bidirectionally pumped at 976 nm. The WGL device was stable and operated for 50 hours without degradation. This demonstration of a high performance WGL opens the possibility for creating a variety of narrow-linewidth laser designs in bulk glasses.
We describe the design of a new family of high spectral brightness narrow linewidth (NLW) mid-infrared (MIR) lasers of < 1 MHz anticipated linewidths with potential for operation at any target wavelength between 2.5 and 9.5 um. More specifically, we analyze the potential performance characteristics of mid-infrared distributed feedback (DFB) Raman fiber lasers (RFLs) based on Pi-phase-shifted (PPS) Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) written in appropriately chosen low-phonon-energy glass fibers. In particular, we calculate anticipated threshold pump powers for optimal laser designs and pump wavelength…
We report an AlGaInAs multiple quantum well integrated source of polarization controlled light consisting of a polarization mode converter PMC, differential phase shifter(DPS), and a side wall grating distributed-feedback DFB laser. We demonstrate an asymmetrical stepped-height ridge waveguide PMC to realize TE to TM polarization conversion and a symmetrical straight waveguide DPS to enable polarization rotation from approximately counterclockwise circular polarization to linear polarization. Based on the identical epitaxial layer scheme, all of the PMC, DPS, and DFB laser can be integrated mo…
We demonstrate a new approach to integrate single layer MoSeR2R and WSeR2R flakes into monolithic all-dielectric planar high-quality micro-cavities. These distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) cavities may e.g. be tuned to match the exciton resonance of the 2D-materials. They are highly robust and compatible with cryogenic and room-temperature operation. The integration is achieved by a customized ion-assisted physical vapor deposition technique, which does not degrade the optical properties of the 2D-materials. The monolithic 2D resonator is shown to have a high Q-factor in excess of 4500. We use…
The combination of grating-based frequency-selective optical feedback mechanisms, such as distributed feedback (DFB) or distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) structures, with quantum dot (QD) gain materials is a main approach towards ultra-high-performance semiconductor lasers for many key novel applications, either as stand-alone sources or as on-chip sources in photonic integrated circuits. However, the fabrication of conventional buried Bragg grating structures on GaAs, GaAs/Si, GaSb and other material platforms have been met with major material regrowth difficulties. We report a novel and univ…
We introduce a monolithic Brillouin generator based on a semiconductor micropillar cavity embedding a high frequency nanoacoustic resonator operating in the hundreds of GHz range. The concept of two nested resonators allows an independent design of the ultrahigh frequency Brillouin spectrum and of the optical device. We develop an optical free-space technique to characterize spontaneous Brillouin scattering in this monolithic device and propose a measurement protocol that maximizes the Brillouin generation efficiency in the presence of optically induced thermal effects. The compact and versati…
Electrically-pumped lasers directly grown on silicon are key devices interfacing silicon microelectronics and photonics. We report here, for the first time, an electrically-pumped, room-temperature, continuous-wave (CW) and single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) laser array fabricated in InAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) gain material epitaxially grown on silicon. CW threshold currents as low as 12 mA and single-mode side mode suppression ratios (SMSRs) as high as 50 dB have been achieved from individual devices in the array. The laser array, compatible with state-of-the-art coarse wavelength divisio…
Silicon lasers have been the most challenging element for the monolithic integrated Si photonics. Here we report the first successful all-Si laser at room temperature based on silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) with high optical gains. The active Si NC layer was made from hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) that had undergone a phase separation annealing, followed by high-pressure hydrogen passivation. Using the nanoimprint technique, a second-order Bragg grating was made on the active layer as the distributed feedback (DFB) laser cavity. This Si NC DFB laser device was optically pumped with femtosecond …
We report the elliptically, close to circularly polarized lasing at $\hbarω= 1.473$ and 1.522 eV from an AlAs/AlGaAs Bragg microcavity with 12 GaAs quantum wells in the active region and chiral-etched upper distributed Bragg refractor under optical pump at room temperature. The advantage of using the chiral photonic crystal with a large contrast of dielectric permittivities is its giant optical activity, allowing to fabricate a very thin half-wave plate, with a thickness of the order of the emitted light wavelength, and to realize the monolithic control of circular polarization.
We report on room temperature laser action of an all monolithic ZnO-based vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) under optical pumping. The VCSEL structure consists of a 2λ microcavity containing 8 ZnO/Zn(0.92)Mg(0.08)O quantum wells embedded in epitaxially grown Zn(0.92)Mg(0.08)O/Zn(0.65)Mg(0.35)O distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). As a prerequisite, design and growth of high reflectivity DBRs based on ZnO and (Zn,Mg)O for optical devices operating in the ultraviolet and blue-green spectral range are discussed.
