Dual Optical Injection in Semiconductor Lasers with Zero Henry Factor

With a proper perturbation, even a single-mode semiconductor laser can exhibit highly complex dynamical characteristics ranging from stable, narrow-linewidth oscillation to broadband chaos. In recent years, three approaches to invoke complex nonlinear dynamical states in a single-mode semiconductor laser have been thoroughly studied: optical injection, optical feedback, and optoelectronic feedback. In each case, the nonlinear dynamics of the semiconductor laser depends on five intrinsic laser parameters and three operational parameters. The dynamical state of a given laser can be precisely controlled by properly adjusting the three operational parameters. This ability to control the dynamical behavior of a laser, combined with the understanding of its characteristics, opens up the opportunity for a wide range of novel applications. This paper illustrates the utilization of the rich nonlinear dynamics of single-mode semiconductor lasers by focusing on the period-one oscillation for its applications in tunable photonic microwave generation, AM-to-FM conversion, and dual-frequency precision Doppler lidar.

CFD modeling for flow field characterization and performance analysis of HGITVC

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of using optical injection to efficiently suppress the time-delay (TD) signatures of chaotic signals in a large experimentally accessible parameter range of semiconductor ring lasers (SRLs). We also study how this optical injection can improve the signal bandwidths. The injection signal is obtained from a master SRL with either optical self- or cross-feedback. For optical self-feedback configurations, it is found that the suppression of TD signatures is similar to what has been found in injected Fabry–Perot semiconductor lasers, i.e., narrow range of parameters with respect to the detuning and injection strengths. For cross-feedback configurations, however, the TD signatures can be suppressed in a wide range of parameters; meanwhile, the bandwidths are significantly improved for the same range of parameters. This is particularly useful for the security in chaos-based communications and also for generating random bits with improved properties.

All-optical inversion in single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) under single- and dual-polarized optical injection is numerically analyzed. For single optical injection, turn-on delay of the parallel polarized power and spikes of the orthogonally polarized power are similar to those found when gain-switching a multimode semiconductor laser. We consider two different methods for all-optical inversion using dual-polarized optical injection. In the first (second) method, pulses of orthogonally (parallel) polarized light and a CW parallel (orthogonally) polarized beam are injected into the VCSEL. Similar switching times and extinction ratios are obtained with both methods. Faster operation with any of these two methods is obtained than for single injection. We show that both types of dual optical injection produce all-optical inversion and all-optical gating with similar characteristics. All-optical gating and inversion are achieved for a 2.5 Gb/s NRZ signal. © 1995-2012 IEEE.

Optical chaos generated by a semiconductor laser under cascaded optical injection is experimentally and numerically investigated. A semiconductor slave laser under continuous-wave optical injection from a master laser is employed as the chaotic laser. The chaotic output optically injects a third laser to enhance the chaotic properties. Using three semiconductor lasers coupled in a master-slave configuration without any delay-based components, optical chaos is generated without any time-delay signatures present. Flat broadband chaos is observed with standard and effective bandwidths reaching six and three times the relaxation resonance frequency of the semiconductor laser, respectively. For simultaneous flat and broadband chaos, the chaotic optical injection of the second stage is adjusted for weak injection strength and a high positively detuned frequency.

We study optical frequency comb (OFC) generation using cascaded injection of semiconductor lasers in this work. The OFC generation system is operated in two cascaded optical injection stages. When a master laser optically injects into the first stage with proper injection power and frequency, period-one (P1) dynamics are invoked in an optically injected semiconductor laser of the first stage. Another semiconductor laser in the second stage is then optically injected by the P1 dynamics. With proper injection power adjusted in the second stage, the P1 dynamics are regenerated, and the semiconductor laser relaxation oscillations (ROs) become undamped so that subharmonic oscillations appear. Because a subharmonic oscillation frequency is half of an oscillation frequency of the P1 dynamics, extra optical frequency components appear in the middle of the adjacent optical frequency components of the P1 dynamics, thus signaling OFC generation. The OFC signals exhibit at least 15 comb lines, resulting in a bandwidth greater than 140 GHz. Microwave comb signals are obtained after photodetection, although the microwave linewidth is on the order of a few megahertz because of the semiconductor laser noise. Thus, we propose a cascaded injection-locking scheme to stabilize the P1 dynamics and OFC signals. We have demonstrated pure microwave generations with a linewidth of less than 3 Hz and low phase noise.

A frequency tunable optoelectronic oscillator based on a directly modulated distributed-feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser under optical injection is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Through optical injection, the relaxation oscillation frequency of the DFB laser is enhanced and its high modulation efficiency can enable the loop oscillation with a RF threshold gain of less than 20 dB. The DFB laser is a commercial semiconductor laser with a package of 10 GHz, and its packaging limitation can be overcome by optical injection. In our scheme, neither a high-speed external modulator nor an electrical bandpass filter is required, making the system simple and low-cost. Microwave signals with a frequency tuning range from 5.98 to 15.22 GHz are generated by adjusting the injection ratio and frequency detuning between the master and slave lasers. The phase noise of the generated 9.75 GHz microwave signal is measured to be -104.8 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz frequency offset.

Chaotic dynamics have been found in a single mode semiconductor laser subject to optical injection experimentally or by numerical simulation. In this paper we study this laser system by means of rate equations, which mathematically are a three-dimensional vector field. To study different routes to chaos we start from the knowledge of bifurcation curves in the plane of injection strength and detuning in Ref. [1] of this issue. Our main tool is combining the continuation of bifurcation curves with computing the respective phase space objects. In this way, we obtain detailed knowledge of regions in parameter space of different types of chaos, and what transitions can be found at the boundaries of such regions. This gives new insight into chaotic output found in experiments. Furthermore, it allows relatively easy access to chaotic dynamics for applications such as chaotic data encryption schemes.

This paper presents the nonlinear dynamics and bifurcations of optically injection semiconductor lasers in the frame of relative weak injection strength. We consider the new modified rate equations model established recently and the behavior of the system is explored by means of bifurcation diagrams. However, the exact nature of the involved dynamics is well described by a detailed study of the changes of dynamics as a function of the effective gain coefficient. As results, we notice symmetry spectra of intensity, the sudden transition between chaos and stable limit cycle, double scroll attractors together with the phenomenon of a sequence of period-doubling route of chaos, strict crisis between the two basins attraction and the boundary crisis as well as the effects of frequency detuning and linewidth enhancement factor on the nonlinear behaviors.

We analyze the limit cycle, also known as period-one (P1), dynamics induced by strong optical injection to a semiconductor laser. Based on the well-established laser rate equations, an approximate solution of the P1 dynamics can be obtained by starting with a general limit-cycle solution and taking into account high-order harmonics of the P1 frequency. The results from this analysis are in a good agreement with numerical and experimental results. Our analysis shows that the strong coupling between the oscillating carrier density and the oscillating optical field is responsible for the high nonlinearity of these P1 dynamics.

Optical injection (OI) into VCSELs is a powerful tool to control VCSEL behavior and light emission. Previous studies by Doumbia et al. 2021 have shown that OI of a 3-line optical frequency comb (OFC) into a VCSEL allows tailoring the properties of the OFCs emitted in the VCSEL output light. Our efforts extend beyond the previous findings, as for the first time, we study the polarization-resolved nonlinear dynamics maps found in a VCSEL subject to two different types of orthogonal OI, namely continuous-wave (CW) injection and the injection of a 3-line gain-switched (GS) OFC. Our results reveal that, within a significant parameter region (encompassing frequency detuning and injected power), the VCSEL’s nonlinear behaviors induced by the OI of a GS-OFC are mainly determined by two factors: (1) the frequencies of the nonlinear dynamics of the VCSEL under CW OI, and (2) the polarization switching curves obtained under both types of OI. Therefore, (1) and (2) provide guidelines to understand the OFCs obtained at the output of the VCSEL. When injecting a 3-line OFC with 2 GHz frequency comb spacing, we demonstrate OFCs with approximately 50 GHz width at the output of the VCSEL, similar to the experimental results of Doumbia et al. 2021. We also identify the nonlinear dynamics that underpin these results.

In this paper we present an experimental analysis of the effect of RF modulation injection current in DFB and FP lasers nearthe first period doubling bifurcation (PDB). By increasing the amplitude of the modulation frequency at the onset of PDB thefirst results of a virtual Hopf phenomenon like behavior has been observed in both types of lasers. We characterized thisobservation by increasing the amplitude of the current modulation where two peaks appear in the spectrum, approaching oneto the other until fmally merging the onset of period doubling bifurcation as predicted by theory. The same virtual Hopfbehavior was observed when we set the amplitude modulation at a fixed value and we sweep the frequency modulation at theonset of the PDB point.Keywords: Laser Diode, Nonlinear Dynamics, Period Doubling Bifurcations. 1. INTRODUCTION Nonlinear dynamics in diode lasers has been the subject of many theoretical and experimental investigations in the lastdecade as they show a rich variety of irregular behavior in their route to chaos1. A single frequency diode laser is commonlystudied by a rate equation model which describes the time evolution of the photon and carrier densities. In these equations,the inclusion of an additional degree of freedom as modulation of the injection current, external light injection or opticalfeedback is needed for nonlinear dynamics to appear2.To our knowledge, the nonlinear behavior in semiconductor diode lasers has been extensively studied by many authors usingdelayed optical feedback and strong current modulation. In the former, the observed route to chaos was through successivesubharmonic bifurcations or by quasi periodic route3'4. In the strong current modulation case the period sequence wastruncated by period tripling before the onset of chaos5'6.On the other hand, the onset of a period doubling bifurcation point in many physical systems brings to nonlinear phenomenasuch as: 1) small signal amplification, 2) shift and suppression of the bifurcation point and 3) the emergence of a closelyspaced set of peaks in the frequency response7.In semiconductor lasers the parametric amplification was observed by Harth and co-workers8'9 which was analyzed byWiesenfeld few years after'°. In the study developed by Wiesenfeld in ref. 10, semiconductor lasers were proposed as goodcandidate to study the rich variety of nonlinear phenomena near period doubling bifurcations. A recent study has shown thatthe effect of Langevin noise in period doubling semiconductor lasers has a virtual Hopf ur12 previously predicted byWiesenfeld'34 as a virtual Hopf phenomenon in systems undergoing a period doubling bifurcations in the presence ofexternal noise.In the present study we have experimentally investigated the nonlinear dynamics of diode lasers in the period doublingbifurcation point. We study the influence of the amplitude modulation in Distributed Feedback (DFB) lasers near perioddoubling bifurcations. In Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers we performed as well the same study as DFB lasers and the analysis of thefrequency modulation near period doubling bifurcation. So in section II we described the experimental procedure for theonset of the first period doubling bifurcation performed in commercial DFB and FP InGaAsP diode lasers at 1,3 tm emission

The research work carried out within the framework of this PhD has focused on the generation of Optical Frequency Combs (OFC) in semiconductor lasers using the gain-switching (GS) technique. The work has been mainly experimental, although simulations have been used to contribute to a better understanding of the internal physics of the OFCs generation process. Various types of lasers have been used, specially distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and discrete mode lasers (DML). An exhaustive experimental characterisation of the properties of the OFCs generated by GS in a full range of operating conditions has been performed. Two ranges of repetition frequencies have been explored: the GHz range with applications in optical communications, and the range of hundreds of MHz for application in spectroscopy. The effect of the optical injection (OI) on the properties of the OFCs has been investigated, and interesting results have been obtained, such as the improvement or deterioration of the quality of the spectra depending on the GS and OI conditions. The optimal operating conditions to generate high quality OFCs at the different frequencies considered have been found. In order to improve the understanding of the different physical processes involved in the generation of the OFCs generated by GS, a simulation tool based on the rate equation model for semiconductor lasers has been developed, with detailed treatment of the noise sources. For a correct simulation of the OFCs the values of a set of internal laser parameters is are required. They were obtained through an original procedure based on the measurement of the relative intensity noise (RIN) spectra. Using this procedure, the uncertainty in the simulated results has been reduced, since it allows to extract more parameters than other procedures due to an adequate analytical treatment of the RIN equations. The simulations have completely reproduced the temporal and spectral response of different lasers in a wide range of electrical and optical injection conditions. From the simulations, the predominant physical processes that contribute to the generation of OFCs, dynamic chirp at high repetition frequencies, and adiabatic chirp at low frequencies, have been identified. It has been shown that it is possible to improve the characteristics of low frequency OFCs by driving the laser with electric pulses, instead of using sinusoidal driving. High quality 100 MHz OFCs (up to 866 tones in 10 dB) with good carrier-to-noise (CNR) ratio have been generated. It has also been shown that step-recovery diodes (SRDs) can be used as a source of electrical pulses to generate OFCs, thus reducing the cost and size of the equipment involved, while maintaining the quality of the OFCs. The role of the “jitter” of the electrical source in the quality of the OFCs has been studied theoretically and experimentally. Finally, the OFCs generated by gain-switching and optical injection have been used to measure the absorption spectra of different elements, using three different architectures: heterodyne detection, and dual-comb spectroscopy and a new implementation of this technique. In this implementation the dual-comb is generated from a single GS laser by alternating the repetition frequency. Promising results for the application of these OFCs in gas spectroscopy have been obtained.

Based on a master-slave frame, we propose and numerically simulate a scheme for generating frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) signals with broad bandwidth. In such a master-slave system, a semiconductor laser under current modulation with single-tone electrical signal is taken as the master laser (ML), and its output optical signal with modulated power is injected into another semiconductor laser (taken as the slave laser, SL) for generating FMCW. The simulated results show that, under suitable operating condition, the bandwidth and the sweep rate of generated FMCW signal can reach 15.4 GHz and 4.83 GHz/ns, respectively. Through further introducing optoelectronic feedback into SL for suppressing the phase noise, the contrast of the frequency comb in the FMCW signal can be increased by 20.22 dB.

There are a number of approaches to inducing chaotic behavior in a single-mode semiconductor laser. We have investigated the following three approaches: (a) optical injection, (b) optical feedback, and (c) optoelectronic feedback. The nonlinear dynamics of a semiconductor laser depend on five intrinsic laser parameters and three operational parameters. We have studied unidirectional chaotic synchronization between two remote injection-locked semiconductor lasers to achieve chaotic communications.