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Exotic Behavior in Quantum Dot Mode-Locked Lasers: Dark Pulses and Bistability

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Quantum Dot Devices

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Nanoscale Science and Technology ((LNNST,volume 13))

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Abstract

Passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers with self-assembled quantum dot active regions can be operated in exotic output modes, stabilized by the complex gain and absorption dynamics inherent in these structures. One such device emits dark pulses—sharp dips on an otherwise stable continuous wave background—in an extended cavity design. We show that a dark pulse train is a solution to the master equation for mode-locked lasers and perform numerical modeling to test the stability of such a solution. A separate, monolithic design displays wavelength bistability and can be electrically switched between these two modes within just a few cavity round trips. This device can be made to switch between two stable wavelengths separated by just 7 nm up to over 40 nm with a contrast ratio of over 40 dB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Optoelectronics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA

    Kevin Silverman, Mingming Feng & Richard Mirin

  2. Quantum Physics Division, JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80305, USA

    Steven Cundiff

Authors
  1. Kevin Silverman
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  2. Mingming Feng
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  3. Richard Mirin
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  4. Steven Cundiff
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Correspondence to Kevin Silverman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Technology, State Key Laboratory of Electronic, University of Electronic Science and, Thin Film and Integrated Devices, Chengdu, 610054, China, People's Republic

    Zhiming M. Wang

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Silverman, K., Feng, M., Mirin, R., Cundiff, S. (2012). Exotic Behavior in Quantum Dot Mode-Locked Lasers: Dark Pulses and Bistability. In: Wang, Z. (eds) Quantum Dot Devices. Lecture Notes in Nanoscale Science and Technology, vol 13. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3570-9_2

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