This book provides guidelines and design rules for developing high-performance, low-cost, and energy-efficient quantum-dot (QD) lasers for silicon photonic integrated circuits (PIC), optical frequency comb generation, and quantum information systems. To this end, the nonlinear properties and dynamics of QD lasers on silicon are investigated in depth by both theoretical analysis and experiment. This book aims at addressing four issues encountered in developing silicon PIC: 1) The instability of laser emission caused by the chip-scale back-reflection. During photonic integration, the chip-scale back-reflection is usually responsible for the generation of severe instability (i.e., coherence collapse) from the on-chip source. As a consequence, the transmission performance of the chip could be largely degraded. To overcome this issue, we investigate the nonlinear properties and dynamics of QD laser on Si in this book to understand how can it be applied to isolator-free photonic integration in which the expensive optical isolator can be avoided. Results show that the QD laser exhibits a high degree of tolerance for chip-scale back-reflections in absence of any instability, which is a promising solution for isolator-free applications. 2) The degradation of laser performance at a high operating temperature. In this era of Internet-of-Thing (IoT), about 40% of energy is consumed for cooling in the data center. In this context, it is important to develop a high-temperature continuous-wave (CW) emitted laser source. In this book, we introduce a single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) QD laser with a design of optical wavelength detuning (OWD). By taking advantage of the OWD technique and the high-performance QD with high thermal stability, all the static and dynamical performances of the QD device are improved when the operating temperature is high. This study paves the way for developing uncooled and isolator-free PIC. 3) The limited phase noise level and optical bandwidth of the laser are the bottlenecks for further increasing the transmission capacity. To improve the transmission capacity and meet the requirement of the next generation of high-speed optical communication, we introduce the QD-based optical frequency comb (OFC) laser in this book. Benefiting from the gain broadening effect and the low-noise properties of QD, the OFC laser is realized with high optical bandwidth and low phase noise. We also provide approaches to further improve the laser performance, including the external optical feedback and the optical injection. 4) Platform with rich optical nonlinearities is highly desired by future integrated quantum technologies. In this book, we investigate the nonlinear properties and four-wave mixing (FWM) of QD laser on Si. This study reveals that the FWM efficiency of QD laser is more than ten times higher than that of quantum-well laser, which gives insight into developing a QD-based silicon platform for quantum states of light generation. Based on the results in this book, scientists, researchers, and engineers can come up with an informed judgment in utilizing the QD laser for applications ranging from classical silicon PIC to integrated quantum technologies.

Over the last few years, there has been a convergence between the fields of ultrafast science, nonlinear optics, optical frequency metrology, and precision laser spectroscopy. These fields have been developing largely independently since the birth of the laser, reaching remarkable levels of performance. On the ultrafast frontier, pulses of only a few cycles long have been produced, while in optical spectroscopy, the precision and resolution have reached one part in Although these two achievements appear to be completely disconnected, advances in nonlinear optics provided the essential link between them. The resulting convergence has enabled unprecedented advances in the control of the electric field of the pulses produced by femtosecond mode-locked lasers. The corresponding spectrum consists of a comb of sharp spectral lines with well-defined frequencies. These new techniques and capabilities are generally known as “femtosecond comb technology. ” They have had dramatic impact on the diverse fields of precision measurement and extreme nonlinear optical physics. The historical background for these developments is provided in the Foreword by two of the pioneers of laser spectroscopy, John Hall and Theodor Hänsch. Indeed the developments described in this book were foreshadowed by Hänsch’s early work in the 1970s when he used picosecond pulses to demonstrate the connection between the time and frequency domains in laser spectroscopy. This work complemented the advances in precision laser stabilization developed by Hall.

Quantum dots as nanomaterials have been extensively investigated in the past several decades from growth to characterization to applications. As the basis of future developments in the field, this book collects a series of state-of-the-art chapters on the current status of quantum dot devices and how these devices take advantage of quantum features. Written by 56 leading experts from 14 countries, the chapters cover numerous quantum dot applications, including lasers, LEDs, detectors, amplifiers, switches, transistors, and solar cells. Quantum Dot Devices is appropriate for researchers of all levels of experience with an interest in epitaxial and/or colloidal quantum dots. It provides the beginner with the necessary overview of this exciting field and those more experienced with a comprehensive reference source.

The book addresses issues associated with physics and technology of injection lasers based on self-organized quantum dots. Fundamental and technological aspects of quantum dot edge-emitting lasers and VCSELs, their current status and future prospects are summarized and reviewed. Basic principles of QD formation using self-organization phenomena are reviewed. Structural and optical properties of self-organized QDs are considered with a number of examples in different material systems. Recent achievements in controlling the QD properties including the effects of vertical stacking, changing the matrix bandgap and the surface density of QDs are reviewed. The authors focus on the use of self-organized quantum dots in laser structures, fabrication and characterization of edge and surface emitting diode lasers, their properties and optimization with special attention paid to the relationship between structural and electronic properties of QDs and laser characteristics. The threshold and power characteristics of the state-of-the-art QD lasers are demonstrated. Issues related to the long-wavelength (1.3-mm) lasers on a GaAs substrate are also addressed and recent results on InGaAsN-based diode lasers presented for the purpose of comparison.

This thesis deals with the dynamics of state-of-the-art nanophotonic semiconductor structures, providing essential information on fundamental aspects of nonlinear dynamical systems on the one hand, and technological applications in modern telecommunication on the other. Three different complex laser structures are considered in detail: (i) a quantum-dot-based semiconductor laser under optical injection from a master laser, (ii) a quantum-dot laser with optical feedback from an external resonator, and (iii) a passively mode-locked quantum-well semiconductor laser with saturable absorber under optical feedback from an external resonator. Using a broad spectrum of methods, both numerical and analytical, this work achieves new fundamental insights into the interplay of microscopically based nonlinear laser dynamics and optical perturbations by delayed feedback and injection.

Nonlinear photonics is the name given to the use of nonlinear optical devices for the generation, communication, processing, or analysis of information. This book is a progress report on research into practical applications of such devices. At present, modulation, switching, routing, decision-making, and detection in photonic systems are all done with electronics and linear optoelectronic devices. However, this may soon change, as nonlinear optical devices, e.g. picosecond samplers and switches, begin to complement optoelectonic devices. The authors succinctly summarize past accomplishments in this field and point to hopes for the future, making this an ideal book for newcomers or seasoned researchers wanting to design and perfect nonlinear optical devices and to identify applications in photonic systems.

This book provides a pedagogical introduction to the emerging field of Polariton Chemistry, where optical cavities are utilized to control the physicochemical properties and dynamics of molecular systems. Given the early stages of this interdisciplinary research area, it is important to provide a common language and starting point for interested researchers across Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering This edited compendium fills a void given that there is currently no analogue in the current literature. Topics covered include Single-Molecule Strong Light-Matter Coupling; Collective Strong Light-Matter Coupling; and Ultrastrong Light-Matter Coupling

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.