Wavelength and intensity switching in directly coupled semiconductor microdisk lasers.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Semiconductor Lasers
• Nanophotonics

Background:

• Microdisk resonators are key components in integrated photonics.
• Coupled microdisk systems offer advanced functionalities for optical devices.
• Controlling light emission in microcavities is crucial for laser applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate output wavelength and intensity switching in a novel three-element coupled microdisk device.
• To investigate the effect of injection current on optical power transfer and emission characteristics.
• To achieve dynamic control over laser output for potential applications in optical communication and signal processing.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a three-element directly coupled microdisk device (one spiral, two semicircle).
• Utilized a gapless coupling mechanism for efficient optical power transfer.
• Controlled the transparency of the center microdisk element using injection current.

Main Results:

• Achieved individual lasing in all three microdisk elements.
• Demonstrated on-off-on switching of output intensity by modulating the center element's transparency.
• Observed discontinuous shifts in the output wavelength as a function of increasing injection current.

Conclusions:

• The proposed coupled microdisk design enables dynamic control over laser output.
• Injection current modulation effectively controls amplified spontaneous emission exchange between elements.
• This device architecture shows promise for tunable and switchable laser sources in photonic integrated circuits.