Nonlinear semiconductor lasers and amplifiers for all-optical information processing

Abstract

The nonlinear properties of semiconductor lasers and laser amplifiers when subject to optical injection are reviewed and new results are presented for multisection lasers, vertical cavity semiconductor optical amplifiers, and surface-emitting lasers. The main underlying material parameters are outlined and the key design approaches are discussed for both edge-emitting and vertical cavity devices. An overview of theoretical modeling approaches is discussed and a summary of key experimental results is presented. The practical use of optically injected edge-emitting and vertical cavity semiconductor lasers and laser amplifiers is illustrated with examples of applications including, among others, optical logic and chaotic communication.