Optical communications

Chapter 3.3
Pham Quang Thai
Pqthai.hcmut@gmail.com
1
Content
Semiconductor physics
Light emitting diode (LED)
Laser diode

2
Poor light quality of LED
Spontaneous emission: no control of emitted
wavelength
3
Poor light quality of LED
Spontaneous emission: no control of phase and amplitude
4
Laser (Light Amplification by
Stimulated Emission of Radiation)

5
6
Oscillator
7
Loss -> Large output bandwidth
8
Overcome loss -> Single frequency output
9
Optical oscillator (optical cavity) -> photon moving between two mirrors
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
10
Many frequencies satisfy the oscillating condition
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
11
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
Video: laser longitude mode
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Absorption -> loss photon
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
13
Stimulated emission -> create photon
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
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Stimulated emission -> Occur under Population inversion condition
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
15
2 energy levels -> Pump -> Transparency
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
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3 energy levels -> pump -> population inversion
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
Video: light
amplification
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Pump -> Population inversion -> Spontaneous emission
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
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Spontaneous emission -> Oscillation condition
-> Stimulated emission -> Lasing
Cavity Gain Pump
Population
Inversion
Stimulated
emission
Laser
Video:
simple laser
Semiconductor laser: pump using p-n junction
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Video:
semiconductor
laser
P-I characteristic

20
P-I characteristic
Rate equation


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sp
sp
ph
dN I N
CN
dt ed
d
CN R
dt
t
t
= u
u u
= u+
Electron rate = injected electron - spontaneous recombination stimulated emission

Photon rate = Stimulated emission + spontaneous emission photon loss
N: number of electrons
I: bias current
e: electron charge
d: active region volume
t
sp
: spontaneous recombination lifetime
C: absorption coefficient
|: number of photons
R
sp
: spontaneous emission rate
t
ph
: photon lifitime

P-I characteristic
At lasing threshold:
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1 2
0
0
0
1 1 1
ln
2
th th
th
sp
dN
dt
d
dt
edN g
I
L R R
o
t | |
=
u
=
u =
| |
| |
= = = +
|
|
|
\ .
\ .
|: gain coefficient of cavity
o: loss coefficient of cavity
L: cavity length
R
1
, R
2
: mirror reflection coefficient
P-I characteristic
Above lasing threshold
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1 2
int
( )
1 1 1
ln
2 2
( ) 2 /
/
ph
th
th
ext
th
I I
ed
c hc
P
n L R R
g P hc
I ed g
t

o
q q
u =
| |
= u
|
\ .

= =
P-I characteristic
Temperature dependent of I
th
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P-I characteristic
Temperature dependent





As temperature increases, Auger recombination
increases exponentially -> N decreases
I
th
increases with temperature
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2
1
( )
( )
th
th
sp
th
sp
sp
edN
I
I
N
N N
t
t
t
=

Modulation characteristic

26
Modulation characteristic
Modulation bandwidth for small signal
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3
3
( )
2
1 1
1
2
dB th
relaxation
sp ph th
C
f I I
ed
I
f
I
t
t t t
=
| |
=
|
\ .
Modulation characteristic
Modulation of large signal:
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Large change in bias current
-> change in N
-> change in n
-> change in phase
-> change in both amplitude
and phase of output signal
-> Chirping !
Relative intensity noise (RIN)
Cause by amplified spontaneous emission
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Examples for chapter 3.3
Problem 4-12:
A GaAs laser emitting at 800 nm has a 400-m
cavity length with a refractive index n=3.6. If the
gain g exceeds the total loss , throughout the
range 750nm<<850nm, how many modes will
exist in the laser?
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Examples for chapter 3.3

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LED
Incoherence light
<10mW output power
~10THz spectral width
100-200 MHz modulation BW
30-50 beam divergence
~1% couple efficiency
<100 mA bias current
LD
Coherent light
~100 mW output power
5-10MHz spectral width
~25 GHz modulation BW
3-5 beam divergence
>50% couple efficiency
~300-400mA bias current
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