The Behavior of Laser Modes in a Medium with Time Varying Dielectric Constant.

Abstract

The effect, on semiconductor laser modes, of a time-varying modulation of the complex dielectric constant of the active region of the laser, is considered. It is seen that the main effect is to produce frequency modulation associated with modulation of the real part of the dielectric constant while modulation of the imaginary part gives rise to amplitude modulation. Two methods for producing the modulation are considered. The first, pressure via ultrasonic waves, produces pure frequency modulation in impure material. The second, modulation of the injection, results in both amplitude and frequency modulation. Experiments to confirm this analysis were carried out on a cw GaAs injection laser. The modulated laser spectrum was observed with a Fabry-Perot Interferometer. High resolution measurements on the pulsed spectral shift of a GaAs laser at 77K and 4.2K were performed using a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The feasibility of detecting modulation on a pulsed semiconductor laser was demonstrated. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 25, 1970
Accession Number
AD0721372

Entities

People

  • Colin Gordon Whitney

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amplitude Modulation
  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Fabry Perot Interferometers
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Modulation
  • High Resolution
  • Interferometers
  • Lasers
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Modulation
  • Semiconductor Lasers
  • Semiconductors
  • Ultrasounds

Fields of Study

  • Engineering
  • Physics

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics