Dynamical simulations of single-mode lasing in large-area all-semiconductor PCSELs

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Semiconductor lasers
• Materials science

Background:

• Photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs) are crucial for various optical applications.
• Achieving stable, single-mode operation in large-area PCSELs remains a challenge.
• Existing designs often struggle with higher-order mode suppression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of photonic crystal geometry on the lasing modes of all-semiconductor PCSELs.
• To identify design parameters that promote single-mode operation.
• To enable efficient, large-area PCSELs for practical applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a computational model for PCSELs.
• Dynamic simulations of laser behavior under varying pump levels.
• Analysis of photonic crystal structures with different feature geometries.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that all-semiconductor PCSELs utilize a GaAs layer with InGaP features.
• Identified large isosceles triangular features with a base angle near 71.5° as optimal.
• Showcased suppression of higher-order modes and achievement of single-mode lasing.

Conclusions:

• Specific photonic crystal geometries are key to controlling laser modes.
• Large-area, single-mode operation is achievable in all-semiconductor PCSELs.
• The findings provide a design guideline for next-generation PCSELs.