Mode selection in InGaAs/InGaAsP quantum well photonic crystal lasers based on coupled double-heterostructure...

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Nanotechnology
• Laser Physics

Background:

• Photonic crystal lasers offer high-Q factors and small mode volumes, ideal for on-chip nano-photonic integration.
• Achieving high output power and single-mode lasing simultaneously is challenging due to the submicron active region size.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate well-selected single-mode lasing in a line-defect photonic crystal cavity.
• To overcome limitations in output power and single-mode operation for nano-photonic devices.

Main Methods:

• Coupling a line-defect photonic crystal cavity to the high-Q modes of a short double-heterostructure photonic crystal cavity.
• Utilizing thermo-optical tuning to resonate high-Q modes with line-defect cavity modes.
• Selecting and tuning specific Fabry-Perot (FP)-like modes for lasing.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated well-selected single-mode lasing.
• Achieved side mode suppression ratios exceeding 15 dB for six successively tuned FP-like modes.
• Showcased continuous wavelength tunability of approximately 10 nm.

Conclusions:

• The coupled cavity system enables precise selection and tuning of laser modes.
• This platform facilitates exploration of laser physics via spatial modulation of vacuum electromagnetic fields at the submicron scale.
• The findings are significant for advancing on-chip nano-photonic light sources.