Light‐Emitting Device Based on Amplified Spontaneous Emission

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, with the rapid development of military, optical communication, biological imaging, and other fields, practical engineering applications such as fiber‐optic gyroscope, wavelength division multiplexing, and optical coherence tomography have put forward higher requirements on light sources. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light source has become an excellent candidate due to its advantages such as suitable bandwidth, low coherence, and high power. Although the ASE light source is developed to a certain extent, there is still great room for improvement in the choice of gain medium and device structure. In order to accelerate the development and practical engineering application of ASE optoelectronic devices, it is of great significance to grasp the basic characteristics of the gain materials and the design of the device structure. In this review, the principle of the ASE effect and its difference with the generation of lasing are analyzed. Then, the optical gain properties of various gain materials, together with different structural types of electrically pumped ASE devices and their practical engineering applications, are summarized. Finally, the new ASE light‐emitting devices integrated with high‐gain materials and low‐cost structures are prospected to provide more ideas for their development.