Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers Provides comprehensive coverage of the advancement of vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers
Vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) emit coherent light from the infrared to the visible spectral range with high power output. Recent years have seen new device developments – such as the mode-locked integrated (MIXSEL) and the membrane external-cavity surface emitting laser (MECSEL) – expand the application of VECSELs to include laser cooling, spectroscopy, telecommunications, biophotonics, and laser-based displays and projectors.
In Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers: VECSEL Technology and Applications, leading international research groups provide a comprehensive, fully up-to-date account of all fundamental and technological aspects of vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers. This unique book reviews the physics and technology of optically-pumped disk lasers and discusses the latest developments of VECSEL devices in different wavelength ranges. Topics include OP-VECSEL physics, continuous wave (CW) lasers, frequency doubling, carrier dynamics in SESAMs, and characterization of nonlinear lensing in VECSEL gain samples. This authoritative volume:
- Summarizes new concepts of DBR-free and MECSEL lasers for the first time
- Covers the mode-locking concept and its application
- Provides an overview of the emerging concept of self-mode locking
- Describes the development of next-generation OPS laser products
Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers: VECSEL Technology and Applications is an invaluable resource for laser specialists, semiconductor physicists, optical industry professionals, spectroscopists, telecommunications engineers and industrial physicists.
Table of Contents:
Preface xiii
Part I Continuous wave VECSEL 1
1 History of Optically Pumped Semiconductor Lasers – VECSELs 3
Mark E. Kuznetsov
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 OPS-VECSELs: Concept and History 4
1.3 Micracor 8
1.4 OPSL Development at Micracor: First Steps 11
1.5 OPS Development at Micracor: Pushing Forward 14
1.6 OPS Development at Micracor: Final Chapter 16
1.7 VECSELs beyond Micracor 20
2 VECSELs in the Wavelength Range 1.18–1.55 μm 27
Antti Rantamäki and Mircea Guina
2.1 Introduction 27
2.2 Overview of GaAs-based Gain Mirror Technologies for Long-wavelength Infrared VECSELs 28
2.3 Overview of InP-based Gain Mirror Technologies for Long-wavelength Infrared VECSELs 32
2.4 Conclusion 50
3 Single-frequency and High Power Operation of 2–3 Micron VECSEL 63
Marcel Rattunde, Peter Holl, and Joachim Wagner
3.1 Introduction 63
3.2 Semiconductor Lasers for the MIR Range 64
3.3 III-Sb Material System 66
3.4 2–3 μm VECSEL Design 68
3.5 Mounting Technologies 72
3.6 Single-frequency Operation (SFO) of 2–3 μm VECSEL 78
3.7 Conclusion 99
4 Highly Coherent Single-Frequency Tunable VeCSELs: Concept, Technology, and Physical Study 109
Mikhael Myara
4.1 Introduction: Lasers for Applications 109
4.2 The "Ideal" Laser 111
4.3 Toward Single-Mode Operation 113
4.4 Toward High Coherence 118
4.5 The VeCSEL in the State of the Art 121
4.6 Highly Coherent, Tunable VeCSEL Design 122
4.7 Limits and Solutions 125
4.8 Highly Coherent, Tunable VeCSEL: Main Characteristics 127
4.9 Ultrahigh-Purity Single-mode Operation 129
4.10 Spatial Coherence 131
4.11 Time Domain Coherence and Noise 131
4.12 Conclusion 139
5 Terahertz Metasurface Quantum Cascade VECSELs 145
Benjamin S. Williams and Luyao Xu
5.1 Introduction 145
5.2 Metasurface Design 149
5.3 QC-VECSEL Model 152
5.4 THz QC-VECSEL Performance: Power, Efficiency, and Beam Quality 159
5.5 Polarization Control in QC-VECSELs 166
5.6 Conclusion 169
6 DBR-free Optically Pumped Semiconductor Disk Lasers 175
Alexander R. Albrecht, Zhou Yang, and Mansoor Sheik-Bahae
6.1 Introduction 175
6.2 DBR-free Semiconductor Disk Lasers 176
6.3 Device Fabrication 182
6.4 DBR-free SDL Implementation 185
6.5 Novel Concepts 189
6.6 Conclusions 192
7 Optically Pumped Red-Emitting AlGaInP-VECSELs and the MECSEL Concept 197
Hermann Kahle, Michael Jetter, and Peter Michler
7.1 Introduction 197
7.2 Direct Red-Emitting AlGaInP-VECSELs and Second-Harmonic Generation 199
7.3 The Membrane External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (MECSEL) 212
7.4 Conclusions 221
Part II Mode-Locked VECSEL 229
8 Recent Advances in Mode-Locked Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers 231
Anne C. Tropper
8.1 Introduction 231
8.2 Ultrafast Pulse Formation in a Surface-Emitting Semiconductor Laser 235
8.3 Performance of Passively Mode-Locked Semiconductor Lasers 244
8.4 Applications 252
8.5 Summary and Outlook 255
9 Ultrafast Nonequilibrium Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductor Laser Mode-Locking 267
I. Kilen, J. Hader, S.W. Koch, and J.V. Moloney
9.1 Introduction 267
9.2 Background Theory 269
9.3 Domain Setup/Modeling 277
9.4 Numerical Results 282
9.5 Outlook 299
10 Mode-Locked AlGaInP VECSEL for the Red and UV Spectral Range 305
Roman Bek, Michael Jetter, and Peter Michler
10.1 Introduction 305
10.2 Epitaxial Layer Design of AlGaInP-SESAM Structures 306
10.3 Temporal Response of AlGaInP SESAMs 307
10.4 Cavity Designs 309
10.5 Characterization Methods 310
10.6 Mode-Locking Results 311
10.7 Second Harmonic Generation into the UV Spectral Range 315
10.8 Summary and Outlook 317
11 Colliding Pulse Mode-locked VECSEL 321
Alexandre Laurain
11.1 Introduction 321
11.2 Principle of Colliding Pulse Modelocking 322
11.3 Requirements for Stable Colliding Pulse Modelocking 324
11.4 Design of an Ultrafast CPM VECSEL 327
11.5 Modelocking Results 335
11.6 Pulse Interactions in the Saturable Absorber 341
11.7 Summary and Outlook 352
12 Self-Mode-Locked Semiconductor Disk Lasers 357
Arash Rahimi-Iman
12.1 Introduction 357
12.2 Mode-Locking Techniques for Optically Pumped SDLs at a Glance 358
12.3 History of Saturable-Absorber-Free Pulsed VECSELs 360
12.4 Overview on SESAM-Free Mode-Locking Achievements 373
12.5 Investigations into the Mechanisms and Outlook 376
Acknowledgments 381
References 382
Index 387
About the Author :
Michael Jetter is Leader of the Epitaxy and Laser Group, Institute for Semiconductor Optics and Functional Interfaces, University of Stuttgart, Germany. He is expert in III-V semiconductor epitaxy and semiconductor lasers.
Peter Michler is Professor and Head of the Institute for Semiconductor Optics and Functional Interfaces, University of Stuttgart, Germany. His research concentrates on quantum dots, non-classical light sources and semiconductor lasers, semiconductor based quantum optics and photonic quantum technologies.
