Semiconductor laser amplifier optimization: an analytical and experimental study

Long-wavelength semiconductor laser amplifiers are investigated with respect to spectral gain properties such as peak gain wavelength shift and width of gain curve, employing different structural parameters such as thickness of the active layer and amplifier length. The model takes into account Auger recombination, thermal effects, and spontaneous emission. It is shown that there exists an optimum thickness of the active layer with respect to current density for a given gain and that increased length of the amplifier allows higher gains and reduced variation of peak gain wavelength with respect to variation of peak gain at the expense of increased saturation by amplified spontaneous emission and increased excess noise. An experimental verification of the theoretical model is reported