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Semiconductor lasers: Fundamentals and applications

Edited by A Baranov and E Tournie, University Montpellier 2 – CNRS, France

Woodhead Publishing Series in Electronic and Optical Materials No. 33

 - provides a comprehensive review of semiconductor lasers and their applications in engineering, biology, chemistry and medicine
 - discusses photonic crystal lasers, high power semiconductor lasers and laser beams, and the use of semiconductor lasers in ultrafast pulse generation
 - reviews applications of visible and near-infrared emitting lasers and mid- and far-infrared emitting lasers

Semiconductor lasers have important applications in numerous fields, including engineering, biology, chemistry and medicine. They form the backbone of the optical telecommunications infrastructure supporting the internet, and are used in information storage devices, bar-code scanners, laser printers and many other everyday products. Semiconductor lasers: Fundamentals and applications is a comprehensive review of this vital technology.

Part one introduces the fundamentals of semiconductor lasers, beginning with key principles before going on to discuss photonic crystal lasers, high power semiconductor lasers and laser beams, and the use of semiconductor lasers in ultrafast pulse generation. Part two then reviews applications of visible and near-infrared emitting lasers. Nonpolar and semipolar GaN-based lasers, advanced self-assembled InAs quantum dot lasers and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are all considered, in addition to semiconductor disk and hybrid silicon lasers. Finally, applications of mid- and far-infrared emitting lasers are the focus of part three. Topics covered include GaSb-based type I quantum well diode lasers, interband cascade and terahertz quantum cascade lasers, whispering gallery mode lasers and tunable mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy.

With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Semiconductor lasers is a valuable guide for all those involved in the design, operation and application of these important lasers, including laser and telecommunications engineers, scientists working in biology and chemistry, medical practitioners, and academics working in this field.

ISBN 0 85709 121 2
ISBN-13: 978 0 85709 121 5
April 2013
664 pages  234 x 156mm  hardback  
£190.00 / US$325.00 / €230.00

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About the editors

Alexei Baranov is Research Director of Research at CNRS, Eric Tournié is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Photonics in University of Montpellier, France. Both work with Institut d’Electronique du Sud, UMR 5214, CNRS – University of Montpellier.

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Contents

PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
PART 3 MID- AND FAR-INFRARED LASERS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

PART 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS

Principles of semiconductor lasers
P Blood, Cardiff University, UK
 - Introduction
 - The basic laser diode
 - Key physical concepts
 - Absorption and gain in low dimensional semiconductor structures
 - Recombination processes
 - Gain-current relations
 - Temperature dependence of threshold current
 - Rate equations
 - Future trends
 - Acknowledgements
 - References

Photonic crystal lasers
Y Zhang and M Lončar, Harvard University, USA
 - Introduction
 - Rate equations and lasing threshold
 - Photonic crystal nanobeam lasers
 - Photonic crystal disk lasers
 - Conclusion and future trends
 - Acknowledgements
 - References

High-power semiconductor lasers
M Fallahi, University of Arizona, USA and R Bedford, AFRL, USA
 - Introduction: theory and design concept
 - Single emitters
 - Array concept for power scaling
 - Conclusion and future trends
 - References

Semiconductor laser beam combining
B Liu, P Colet and Y Braiman, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA
 - Introduction to laser beam combining
 - Experiments on external cavity broad-area laser diodes arrays
 - Modeling the dynamics of a single mode semiconductor laser array in external cavity
 - Conclusion
 - Acknowledgments
 - References

Ultrafast pulse generation by semiconductor lasers
E U Rafailov, University of Dundee, UK and E Avrutin, University of York, UK
 - Introduction
 - Gain switching
 - Important developments in gain-switched semiconductor lasers (SLs)
 - Q-Switching
 - Mode locking (ML) in semiconductor lasers: an overview
 - The main predictions of mode-locked laser theory
 - Important tendencies in optimising the mode locking (ML) laser performance
 - Novel mode locking principles
 - Overview of applications of mode-locked diode lasers
 - Conclusion
 - Acknowledgements
 - References

PART 2 VISIBLE AND NEAR-INFRARED LASERS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Nonpolar and semipolar group III-nitride lasers
D Feezell, University of New Mexico, USA and S Nakamura, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
 - Introduction
 - Applications of group III-nitride lasers
 - Introduction to properties of III-nitrides
 - Optical properties of nonpolar and semipolar III-nitrides
 - Substrates, crystal growth, and materials issues
 - Optical waveguides and loss
 - Fabrication techniques
 - Nonpolar and semipolar laser history and performance
 - Future trends
 - Sources of further information and advice
 - References

Advanced self-assembled indium arsenide (InAs) quantum dot lasers
M Sugawara, QD Laser Inc and The University of Tokyo, Y Arakawa and K Tanabe, The University of Tokyo, Japan
 - Introduction
 - High-density and highly-uniform InAs quantum dots
 - Quantum-dot Fabry-Perott (FP) and distributed feedback (DFB) lasers for optical communication
 - Quantum-dot FP and DFB lasers for high temperature application
 - QD Laser, Inc
 - Silicon hybrid quantum-dot lasers
 - Conclusion
 - Acknowledgement
 - References

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs)
K D Choquette, University of Illinois, USA
 - Introduction
 - Device structure
 - Vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) optical performance
 - Conclusion
 - References

Semiconductor disk lasers (VECSELs)
J E Hastie, S Calvez, and M D Dawson, University of Strathclyde, UK
 - Introduction
 - Principles of operation
 - Intracavity frequency control
 - Pulsed operation
 - Future trends and applications
 - Sources of further information and advice
 - References

Hybrid silicon lasers
D Liang and J Bowers, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
 - Introduction
 - Fundamentals of silicon (Si) lasers
 - Hybrid Si laser-based photonic integrated circuits
 - Conclusion
 - References

PART 3 MID- AND FAR-INFRARED LASERS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Gallium antimonide (GaSb)-based type I quantum well diode lasers: recent development and prospects
G Belenky and L Shterengas, State University of New York at Stony Brook, M V Kisin, Ostendo Technologies Inc. and T Hosoda, State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA
 - Introduction
 - Diode lasers operating below µm
 - Diode lasers for spectral range above µm
 - Metamorphic GaSb-based diode lasers
 - Acknowledgements
 - References

Interband cascade (IC) lasers
R Yang, University of Oklahoma, USA
 - Introduction
 - Operating principle of interband cascade (IC) lasers
 - Early development and challenges
 - Recent progress and new developments
 - Future trends and conclusion
 - Acknowledgments
 - References

Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers
S Barbieri, University of Paris Diderot and CNRS, France and S Kumar, Lehigh University, USA
 - Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade laser technology
 - Waveguides and photonic structures
 - Stabilisation, microwave modulation and active mode-locking of THz quantum cascade laser (QCLs)
 - References

Whispering gallery mode lasers
A Monakhov, Ioffe Institute, Russia
 - Introduction to whispering gallery mode (WGM)
 - WGM in electrodynamics
 - Semiconductor WGM lasers
 - Light extraction from a WGM resonator
 - Conclusion
 - References

Tunable mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy
F K Tittel and R Lewicki, Rice University, USA
 - Introduction
 - Laser absorption spectroscopic techniques
 - Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) for trace gas detection
 - Specific examples of QCL based sensor systems
 - Conclusions and future trends
 - References