Determination of the gain nonlinearity time constant in 1.3 μm semiconductor lasers

Abstract

By comparison of the measured K factors (ratio of the damping factor to the square of the resonance frequency) of distributed feedback and Fabry–Perot lasers, it is found that the relaxation time associated with nonlinear gain for 1.3 μm InGaAsP lasers is about 0.1 ps. This short time constant is consistent with spectral hole burning being the dominant process responsible for the nonlinear gain.