Modal properties of all-active InGaAsP/InP microring lasers

• Published in: Optics communications 2009-06, Vol.282 (12), p.2388-2393
• Main Authors: Stamataki, I., Kapsalis, A., Mikroulis, S., Syvridis, D., Hamacher, M., Troppenz, U., Heidrich, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bidirectional operation; Dynamical laser instabilities; noisy laser behavior; Dynamics of nonlinear optical systems; optical instabilities, optical chaos and complexity, and optical spatio-temporal dynamics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Laser optical systems: design and operation; Lasers; Microring lasers; Mode-hopping; Nonlinear optics; Optics; Physics; Semiconductor lasers; laser diodes; Unidirectional operation
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2009.02.072

An experimental investigation of the multimode dynamics of 1.55 μm-InGaAsP/InP microring lasers is demonstrated. Different operation regimes are observed, bidirectional multimode, unidirectional single mode, bidirectional single mode and mode-hopping. The extent of each of the above operation regimes is examined with respect to the ring current level, bus waveguide reflectivity and ring radius. The back-reflections generated from the bus waveguide facets are indirectly controlled via the bus waveguide current. In order to clarify the physical mechanisms beyond experimental results, a multimode model based on the rate equation approximation is utilized. The experimental results are in good agreement to those predicted by the multimode model.