Hybrid mode-locking in edge-emitting semiconductor lasers: Simulations, analysis and experiments

Abstract

Hybrid mode-locking in a two section edge-emitting semiconductor laser is studied numerically and analytically using a set of three delay differential equations. In this set the external RF signal applied to the saturable absorber section is modeled by modulation of the carrier relaxation rate in this section. Estimation of the locking range where the pulse repetition frequency is synchronized with the frequency of the external modulation is performed numerically and the effect of the modulation shape and amplitude on this range is investigated. Asymptotic analysis of the dependence of the locking range width on the laser parameters is carried out in the limit of small signal modulation. Our numerical simulations indicate that hybrid mode-locking can be also achieved in the cases when the frequency of the external modulation is approximately twice larger and twice smaller than the pulse repetition frequency of the free running passively mode-locked laser fP . Finally, we provide an experimental demonstration of hybrid mode-locking in a 20 GHz quantum-dot laser with the modulation frequency of the reverse bias applied to the absorber section close to fP / 2.