Single-sideband photonic microwave generation with an optically injected quantum-dot semiconductor laser

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Semiconductor Lasers
• Photonics

Background:

• Single-sideband (SSB) photonic microwave generation is crucial for advanced communication systems.
• High sideband rejection ratio (SRR) is essential to mitigate signal impairments like the power penalty effect.
• Quantum-dot (QD) lasers offer unique properties compared to conventional quantum-well (QW) lasers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate SSB photonic microwave generation using period-one dynamical states in QD lasers.
• To compare the SRR performance of QD lasers against QW lasers.
• To identify the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for enhanced SRR in QD lasers.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an optically injected QD semiconductor laser operating in period-one dynamical states.
• Generating SSB photonic microwave signals.
• Measuring and comparing SRRs between QD and QW lasers under optimal microwave power.
• Analyzing laser parameters such as carrier decay rate, linewidth enhancement factor, and photon decay rate.

Main Results:

• SSB signals generated from QD lasers exhibited approximately 15 dB higher SRRs than those from QW lasers.
• The enhanced SRR in QD lasers was observed under optimal microwave power conditions.
• Key QD laser properties contributing to the improved SRR were identified.

Conclusions:

• QD lasers demonstrate superior performance for SSB photonic microwave generation compared to QW lasers.
• The enhanced SRR in QD lasers is attributed to their specific material and dynamic properties.
• This finding has significant implications for improving the performance of radio-over-fiber optical communication systems.