Low dissipation integrated frequency combs are ideal candidates to realize miniaturized spectrometers without moving parts and hence are of great interest for integrated photonics.
After reviewing frequency comb generation in interband cascade lasers (ICLs), the nonlinear dynamics and performance limiting mechanisms of ICLs will be discussed. A newly developed k-space resolved non-equilibrium carrier transport model combined with experimental studies enables us to explore different loss mechanisms, as well as to explore the reasons, why passive mode-locking of ICLs for short pulse generation remains challenging.
Bright pulses of light are unstable states in free-running semiconductor lasers. Stable bright solitons require an optical bistability---as predicted by mean-field theories such as the Complex Ginzburg Landau Equation (CGLE) or the Lugiato-Lefever Equation (LLE). However, this restriction is relaxed when two lasers are coupled to one another. Here, we identify a new state of light in a pair of semiconductor ring lasers with fast gain dynamics. Two racetrack (RT) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) when coupled along their straight sections spontaneously produce a frequency comb over the hybridized modes of the coupled cavity. Waveform reconstruction measurements reveal the hybridized comb manifests itself as a pair of bright and dark pulses circulating the coupled cavity simultaneously. In addition, split-step integration of a pair of mutually forced CGLEs faithfully reproduces our experimental measurements, providing some insight on the formation of such states.
Active resonators based on semiconductor gain media encompass a large optical nonlinearity that arises from gain saturation and enables bright soliton generation. The ability to operate these resonators below the lasing threshold as tunable passive devices –– filters, modulators, phase shifters –– opens up an untapped potential of seamlessly integrated reconfigurable devices for both generation of multimode mid-infrared (4 – 12 μm) light and its manipulation.
Monolithic ring Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) have recently emerged as a new platform for frequency comb generation in the mid-infrared with immediate applications in molecular gas spectroscopy and photonic generation of stable coherent sub-THz tones. In this talk I will show that depending on the way they are driven, ring QCLs can act as carrier generators, integrated intensity modulators, tunable filters, and on-chip optical amplifiers. The natural predisposition of these components to photonic integration opens a route to compact mid-infrared WDM transceivers for free space optical links and miniaturized 2D IR spectrometers.
Optical nonlinearities are known to coherently couple the amplitude and the phase of light, which can lead to the formation of perfectly periodic waveforms – known as frequency combs. Recently, self-starting frequency combs that do not rely on the emission of short pulses are appearing in numerous semiconductor laser types, among which is the quantum cascade laser. Here we discuss the role of a Bloch gain induced giant Kerr nonlinearity in Fabry-Pérot and ring cavity QCLs, paving the way towards electrically pumped Kerr combs.
Quantum cascade detectors (QCD) are photovoltaic mid-infrared detectors based on intersubband transitions. The sub-picosecond carrier transport between subbands and the absence of a bias voltage make QCDs ideally suited for high-speed and room temperature operation. Interband cascade detectors (ICDs) combine interband optical transitions with fast intraband transport to achieve high-frequency and broad-wavelength operation at room temperature.
We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of QCDs optimized for large electrical bandwidth. Femtosecond pulses generated by a mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator are used to demonstrate QCDs with a 3-dB bandwidth of more than 20 GHz and measure the saturation characteristics of ICDs.
Frequency combs are ideal candidates to build chip integrated spectrometers without moving parts. I will give an overview on comb generation in the mid-infrared using interband cascade lasers.
We demonstrate that ICLs naturally show the same frequency comb characteristics as QCL frequency combs and shed light into previous experiments. To generate the comb, we utilize the intrinsic fast time dynamics of the laser gain medium to enable phase-locking via four-wave mixing that is due to anti-phase oscillations of the population inversion. The observed comb state, the frequency modulated state, is fundamentally different to traditional mode-locking, where short pulses are generated.
As a main characterization technique, we use the linear RF phase measurement technique shifted wave interference Fourier transform spectroscopy (SWIFTS). A detailed comparison between SWIFTS and the intensity autocorrelation for the pulse shape characterization will be presented. A more intuitive picture of the synchronization states in frequency combs is provided by the analogy to coupled clocks, which reveals a illustrative understanding of how these lasers can be switched to the pulsed regime. Using this knowledge we demonstrate the active mode-locked mid-infrared ICLs with picosecond pulse emisson.
A key feature of ICLs is that the very same layer structure can also be used as sensitive photodetectors. The fact that ICLs utilize fast carrier transport via intersubband scattering is a great advantage for the high frequency response of the on-chip photodetectors. Combined with the low power requirements of the laser this makes ICL technology an ideal platform to realize future miniaturized dual-comb spectrometers for hand-held and battery driven devices.
[1] B. Schwarz et al. Optica 6, 890 (2019)
[2] J. Hillbrand et al. Optica 6, 1334 (2019)
[3] H. Lotfi et al. APL 109, 151111 (2016)
Semiconductor lasers are compact, electrically pumped sources of coherent light. If designed properly they emit frequency combs, which nowadays find application in various areas such as telecommunications, metrology and high-precision spectroscopy for chemical sensing and medical diagnostics. Laser design and optimization require profound knowledge of the working principles at play and powerful techniques to infer their characteristics. One of these characteristic quantities is the linewidth enhancement factor (LEF). It originates from a theoretical description of the linewidth broadening beyond the Shawlow-Townes-limit, but is recently moving in the spotlight of frequency comb research to understand dynamic processes like modulation response, comb formation and even soliton generation. However, as of yet the experimental investigation of the LEF was limited to single-mode laser operation or measurements below to the lasing threshold. This is insufficient, since the LEF changes drastically with the laser bias and is dependent on the wavelength.
In this work we present a novel technique which enables the spectrally-resolved measurement of the LEF of an arbitrary laser source regardless of the operation state or bias. It relies on the RF modulation of the driving bias and “Shifted Wave Interference Fourier Transform Spectroscopy” (SWIFTS) – a phase-sensitive measurement scheme. When investigating a laser frequency comb, a single-shot measurement reveals the spectral dependence of the LEF over the whole comb spectrum.
Extensive simulations utilizing a numerical spatiotemporal model based on the Maxwell–Bloch formalism were performed to explore the success of this approach. The technique was vastly tested by simulating both, single-mode lasers and laser frequency combs. A comparison to the theoretical model shows good agreement.
The experimental demonstration of the technique is performed on a quantum cascade laser (QCL) frequency comb. The resulting LEF values are comparable to recent publications and follow the spectral shape predicted by the theoretical model.
Radio-frequency (RF) modulation of FP-QCLs has been demonstrated to be a crucial tool for the control and manipulation of frequency comb states and internal synchronization mechanisms. Coherent injection locking of the repetition frequency, switching from the intrinsic anti-phase synchronized FM-state to the in-phase synchronized AM-state and spectral broadening are just a few examples of recent findings linked to RF injection as a means of control mechanism.
We present the observation of controlled lateral mode switching in a two section, RF-modulation optimized, 12μm broad ridge FP-QCL. The mode switching is induced by strong RF modulation close to the free-running laser beatnote at the repetition frequency. It is shown that the anti-phase FM-comb state intrinsic to most free-running FP-QCLs, exceeding a certain ridge width, favors a higher order dual lobe state which can be observed in the far-field. Injecting an RF signal with a power of 35 dBm, 65 MHz above the free-running laser beatnote, the resulting comb state is shown to favor the fundamental, mode. The resulting single lobe far-field distribution was measured experimentally with a slow MCT detector mounted on a rotational stage. The lateral mode switching from the first higher order- to the fundamental mode can be observed over the entire laser operation current bias range of the gain section. 2D mode simulations yielding the fundamental and higher order mode group refractive indices show good agreement with the measured results. Furthermore RF modulation below the free-running laser beatnote shows the excitement of a second, higher order lateral mode, where three lobes are observed in the far-field.
The results presented show the potential for reliable lateral mode control via strong RF modulation close to the repetition frequency of broader ridge FP-QCLs. This opens up the possibility for high power comb operation scaling with the ridge width, while still maintaining a single lobe far-field
Optical nonlinearities are known to coherently couple the amplitude and the phase of light, which can lead to the formation of perfectly periodic waveforms – known as frequency combs. Recently, self-starting frequency combs that do not rely on the emission of short pulses are appearing in numerous semiconductor laser types, among which is the quantum cascade laser. This novel type of combs is gaining vast attention from researchers due to their self-starting nature and compactness, making them an ideal platform for further development of spectroscopic applications. Their spontaneous formation was explained through an interplay of phenomenological nonlinearity and dispersion in the laser active region, although the actual physical processes remained unclear until now. Here we show that Bloch gain – a phenomenon described by Bloch and Zener in the 1930s – plays an essential role in their formation. We demonstrate that a Bloch gain contribution is present in any quantum cascade laser and becomes particularly dominant under saturation.
Bloch gain in QCLs with ultrafast gain recovery induces a giant Kerr nonlinearity, which is two orders of magnitude larger than the bulk values. The resonant Kerr nonlinearity provides coherent coupling between the amplitude and the phase of the laser field, which serves as a locking mechanism for frequency comb operation. We show that in Fabry-Pérot QCLs this results in frequency-modulated combs with a linear frequency chirp. In ring cavity QCLs, the Bloch gain is able to induce a single-mode instability by tuning the laser in the phase turbulence regime. This can lead to the formation of locked spatial patterns that are related to dissipative Kerr solitons, paving the way towards electrically pumped Kerr combs.
A phenomenological linewidth enhancement factor (LEF) was recently used to explain a variety of laser dynamics, from free-running optical frequency combs (OFCs) to solitonic-structures in quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). In this work, we provide a physical origin of the LEF for the first time. The inclusion of scattering assisted optical transitions leads to considerable asymmetry of the gain lineshape, which induces a finite LEF. A k-space resolved density matrix model that incorporates multiple elastic and inelastic scattering mechanisms was used. A laser master equation including LEF is derived that shows OFC formation and provides a link to Kerr microresonators.
We will report on the high-frequency operation of QCDs, ICDs, and QWIPs connected to a monolithic coplanar transmission line without air-bridge. A single-period QCD with more than 0.8 A/W responsivity at 300K paves the way towards sensitive multiheterodyne detection at room-temperature.
Frequency combs are ideal candidates to realize miniaturized spectrometers without moving parts and hence are of great interest for integrated photonics. Here, an overview on the generation electrically pumped optical frequency combs on integrated platforms using semiconductor lasers.
This includes self-starting generation of frequency modulated combs in quantum cascade laser in the 8um and interband cascade lasers in the 3-4um wavelength region, respectively. Furthermore, we will discuss how to integrate efficient high-speed modulators in these devices in order to facilitate the generation of picosecond pulses.
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