Title :
Measurement of Semiconductor Laser Gain by the Segmented Contact Method Under Strong Current Spreading Conditions
Author :
Suchalkin, Sergey ; Westerfeld, David ; Belenky, Gregory ; Bruno, John D. ; Pham, John ; Towner, Fred ; Tober, R.L.
Author_Institution :
State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook, NY
fDate :
6/1/2008 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A segmented contact method for the measurement of optical gain is developed for the case of strong current spreading. A simple model of current spreading in a ridge laser with a segmented contact is proposed and analyzed. We show that current spreading effects should be taken into account in lasers with low threshold current densities and high ldquoopeningrdquo voltages. When applied to interband cascade lasers, the method gives an internal optical loss of ~ 10-17 cm-1 and a differential gain of ~ 2.9 cm/A at 80 K, which agrees well with previously reported Hakki-Paoli data. The limitations of the technique are discussed.
Keywords :
gain measurement; optical losses; optical variables measurement; semiconductor lasers; Hakki-Paoli data; interband cascade lasers; internal optical loss; optical gain measurement; segmented contact method; semiconductor laser; Current measurement; Gain measurement; Laser modes; Length measurement; Optical pumping; Pump lasers; Quantum cascade lasers; Semiconductor lasers; Threshold current; Threshold voltage; Interband cascade lasers (ICL); Mid-infrared (IR) lasers; optical gain;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JQE.2008.917972
