Experimental observation of localized structures in medium size VCSELs

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Optoelectronics
• Nonlinear Optics

Background:

• Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) are crucial semiconductor devices.
• Understanding nonlinear phenomena in VCSELs is key for advanced applications.
• Optical injection can induce complex behaviors in laser systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate the spontaneous formation of localized structures in a VCSEL.
• To investigate the bistability of these structures with respect to injection power and laser current.
• To analyze the influence of optical injection parameters on structure formation.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an 80 μm diameter VCSEL.
• Biasing the VCSEL above its lasing threshold.
• Applying optical injection with controlled beam power, detuning, and waist.

Main Results:

• Experimental evidence of spontaneous localized structure formation was observed.
• Localized structures exhibited clear bistability with injected beam power and VCSEL current.
• Structure formation was dependent on the detuning between the injected beam and the VCSEL, and the injection beam waist.

Conclusions:

• Spontaneous localized structures can be formed in VCSELs under specific optical injection conditions.
• The observed bistability offers potential for novel optical switching and information processing.
• Further investigation into parameter dependencies can lead to tailored device functionalities.