Longitudinal mode self-stabilization in semiconductor lasers

Abstract

A general mechanism of self-stabilization of longitudinal modes in semiconductor lasers is presented. The stabilization is due to the modulation of the inverted population by the beating of the fields of lasing and nonlasing modes, thereby modulating the rate of stimulated emission. This leads to two optical nonlinearities: one causing gain suppression of nonlasing modes and the other causing coupling of pairs of nonlasing modes that are equally separated from the laser line. The two nonlinearities nearly cancel, but their net effect is a weak suppression of the nonlasing modes and stabilization of the lasing mode. Buried optical guide lasers were stabilized in a single longitudinal mode for currents greater than 6mA above threshold. The mode intensity spectra of the lasers were measured over 5 decades and converted to gain spectra, which could be compared with the theory. The gain spectrum is parabolic at threshold. At 20 mA above threshold it remains continuous at the laser line but narrows and becomes structured. The structure is characterized by a dip in the gain and in the mode intensities occurring about 3 modes from the laser line. The laser line also causes a pronounced dip in the gain spectra of the nonlasing first order transverse modes. All of these features can be approximately accounted for by the theory.