Parasitic-free modulation of semiconductor lasers

Active-layer photomixing is a technique for modulating semiconductor lasers with nearly perfect immunity to device parasitics. Measurements of the intrinsic modulation response of a laser diode using this technique at temperatures as low as 4.2 K are discussed. From these measurements, the temperature dependence of important dynamical parameters is determined. In addition, this provides a stringent test of the active-layer photomixing technique since parasitic response is degraded, while the intrinsic response is improved for low-temperature operation. At 4.2 K, the ideal intrinsic response is measured for frequencies as high as 15 GHz despite an estimated parasitic corner frequency of 410 MHz

Measurement of the fundamental modulation response of a semiconductor laser to millimeter wave frequencies by active-layer photomixing

The room-temperature modulation response of a GaAs/GaAlAs semiconductor laser (relaxation resonance frequency, vR=6.5 GHz) is measured to 37 GHz using the active-layer photomixing technique. The measured response function agrees with the theoretical ideal, and there is no indication of device parasitic effects. An ultrahigh-finesse Fabry–Perot interferometer is used to detect the optical modulation, which appears as sidebands in the laser field spectrum. With a moderately faster laser diode (i.e., vR~10 GHz), the modulation response should be measurable beyond 100 GHz

Low-temperature measurement of the fundamental frequency response of a semiconductor laser by active-layer photomixing

We use the active-layer photomixing technique to directly modulate the output of a GaAs semiconductor laser operating at temperatures as low as 4.2 K. The technique produces modulation with nearly perfect immunity to device parasitic effects, revealing the laser diode's intrinsic modulation response. At 4.2 K the parasitic corner frequency is estimated to be 410 MHz, yet the response appears ideal out to 15 GHz. We measure the dynamical parameters governing the response function, the relaxation resonance frequency, and the damping rate, and discuss their low-temperature behavior

Cathodoluminescence of oval defects in GaAs/AlxGa1–xAs epilayers using an optical fiber light collection system

A cathodoluminescence system using a novel optical fiber light collection system is employed to study oval defects in GaAs/Alx Ga1–x As epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Spatially and spectrally resolved data on the luminescence of oval defects are presented. Oval defects are found to contain an enhanced concentration of gallium, which is consistent with current theories regarding the origin of these defects

Amplitude-phase decorrelation: a method for reducing intensity noise in semiconductor lasers

It has been shown that the method of amplitude-phase decorrelation can reduce the fundamental intensity noise floor of semiconductor laser light over a wide bandwidth by the ratio 1/(1+α^2), where α is the linewidth enhancement factor. The method uses a dispersive element to convert phase noise into intensity noise. This technique was recently demonstrated by reducing intensity noise from a DFB (distributed feedback) laser as much as 7 dB below its intrinsic level. In the present work, the authors extend these results by characterizing the frequency dependence of the noise reduction. Optimum reduction is achieved in the flat region of the spectrum and diminishes at higher frequencies approaching the relaxation resonance. The correlation properties of the fluctuations are also investigated

Parasitic-free measurement of the fundamental frequency response of a semiconductor laser by active-layer photomixing

We report the measurement of the fundamental (intrinsic) frequency response of a GaAs semiconductor laser to 12 GHz by directly photomixing two optical sources in the active region of the laser. This novel technique reveals the underlying fundamental frequency response of the device as parasitic effects are avoided. Well beyond the relaxation resonance, the theoretically predicted 40 dB/dec signal rolloff is observed. Other features of the measured response function are also observed to be the theoretical ideal

Stigmergy in Web 2.0: a model for site dynamics

Building Web 2.0 sites does not necessarily ensure the success of the site. We aim to better understand what improves the success of a site by drawing insight from biologically inspired design patterns. Web 2.0 sites provide a mechanism for human interaction enabling powerful intercommunication between massive volumes of users. Early Web 2.0 site providers that were previously dominant are being succeeded by newer sites providing innovative social interaction mechanisms. Understanding what site traits contribute to this success drives research into Web sites mechanics using models to describe the associated social networking behaviour. Some of these models attempt to show how the volume of users provides a self-organising and self-contextualisation of content. One model describing coordinated environments is called stigmergy, a term originally describing coordinated insect behavior. This paper explores how exploiting stigmergy can provide a valuable mechanism for identifying and analysing online user behavior specifically when considering that user freedom of choice is restricted by the provided web site functionality. This will aid our building better collaborative Web sites improving the collaborative processes

Equivalent circuit model for active-layer photomixing: Parasitic-free modulation of semiconductor lasers

Direct modulation of a laser diode by active-layer photomixing is studied in terms of an equivalent circuit model. The model shows that this modulation technique achieves nearly perfect immunity to package, chip, and junction-related parasitic effects so that the measured modulation response reflects the intrinsic carrier-photon dynamics. The nonlinear gain effect is included in the model