Review of Photonic Device Dynamics

Guillaume Huyet

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Current Research areas

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Time resolved Photo-luminescence

• Excite at an energy higher than the band

gap and analyse the emission as a
function of wavelength and time
• Example InGaAs quantum well: Band
gap=890nm. Excite at 830nm and observe
the emission (right)

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Quantum dots

• Main work on InAs/GaAs quantum dots grown

by MBE (mainly from collaborators)
• New QD materials, e.g GaSb/GaAs

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 TRPL Experiment of quantum dot
materials

Single State QD Emission Streak Image

GaAs 145 nm
GaAs 145nm

AlGaAs 1300nm

GaAs buffer
500nm
Si GaAs

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Coupled QW-QD system
Uncoupled

Coupled

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Strained Tensile Ge QW

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Pump-Probe Spectroscopy

• To further our understanding of the carrier

dynamics in semiconductor nanostructures

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications
 QD amplifiers

ES ES

GS GS

PUMP PUMP

PROBE PROBE

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 0.5
I=200mA
0.0
-0.5
-1.0
-1.5

G(dB)
-2.0

∆
-2.5
-3.0 SC Pump Probe ES
-3.5 TC Pump GS Probe ES
-4.0 SC Pump Probe GS
TC Pump ES Probe GS
-4.5
-5.0
-5.5
-6.0
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Delay (ps)

Tri-exponential decay for all the

cases
Short time: hole relaxation and
relaxation of electrons form ES to
GS.
Intermediate time: combination of
electron capture to the dot and GS
to ES escape.
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices
Longest forwetting
time: Novel Photonics
layer Applications
recovery
 QD tunnel injection- Collaboration
with LPN (CNRS)

Tunnelling Injection
• “Cold” electrons introduced to QD
ground states by direct or phonon-
assisted tunnelling
• Rate comparable to stimulated
emission rate
• Carrier distribution maintained
close to quasi-fermi distribution,
even at high injection levels
• Thus, carrier leakage and hot-
carrier effect minimised and
increased modulation BW

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Tunnel Injection SOA
Single Colour Pump-Probe
λ ~1268nm
8 0.6
10mA
6 Absorption Regime 50mA
0.4 Gain Regime
100mA
4
200mA
Gain Change (dB)

Phase Change (rad)

2 0.2

0
0.0

-2 Gain Regimes
10mA -0.2
-4 50mA
100mA Absorption Regime
-6 200mA -0.4

-8
-0.6
-4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Delay (ps) Delay (ps)

Gain Dynamics Phase Dynamics

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 InGaNAsSb amplifiers (Ottawa &
Bristol)
Double Quantum Well
Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Emitting at 1.55 µ m
Ga1-xInxNyAs1-y-zSbz (x=0.4, y=0.027, z=0.0125)
900 0.5

Long Time Component Amplitude (a.u.)

0.5
800
0.4
700
0.0

Long time component (ps)

Gain change (dB)

600
0.3
-0.5 30mA 500

35mA 400 0.2

40mA
-1.0 45mA 300
90mA 0.1
200

-1.5 100 amplitude

InGaNAsSb device
0.0
Pump power 250µW@1545nm 0 recovery time
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Delay(ps) Current (mA)

Gain Dynamics Time and Amplitude

Components
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications
 Reponse of Ge/Si modulator
fabricated in Stanford

T 4V
D 5V
6V
7V
Reverse bias 8V
9V
10V
11V

0 20 40 60 80 100

Time (ps)

The pump-probe set-up enables us to measure the carrier

bandwidth of any modulator.
Example: We have recently measured the intrinsic carrier
bandwidth of Ge quantum well with SiGe barrier grown on Si
substrate from Jim Harris group. We measured a 20ps recovery
time.

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Semiconductor Lasers

• Quantum dot lasers

– Feedback
– Single mode
– Master-slave
– Mutually coupled
– Mode-locked
• Other laser sources:
– Sources for OCT, e.g broad sweeper with
Superlum
– VECSELs
– Dilute nitride

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 QD optical feedback

DC bias

delay

• Semiconductor lasers are usually unstable

under optical feedback
• We observed and explained the enhanced
stability of quantum dot lasers
• Potential for isolator-free communications
• QD-Laser Inc commercializing this
technology
• One of the topics of interest with Eblana
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications
 Single mode

• QD-Laser Inc commercializes FP lasers but DFB

is on their road map (they do not say how)
• Long reach requires single mode
• Difficulty in making single mode GaAs laser
• Currently lateral grating is a possibility

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Single mode with Eblana

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Mode-locked lasers

• Many application
– Millimeter waves
– Interconnect
– Time-division multiplexing
– Optical sampling
– Metrology, coherent combs
• The recent review commissioned by Patrick
Morrissey showed that Mode-Locked Quantum
Dot semiconductor lasers should be a key
technology developed by Tyndall with Farran
technology

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Mode-locked semiconductor lasers

Tr

Power [a.u]
Time [a.u]

Power
Tr/2

4.3mm

Wavelength

• Pulses of a few picoseconds duration at a repetition rate of tens of

GHz
• The optical spectrum of these lasers is composed of a comb of phase
locked equally spaced modes (up to 200 modes)

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Timing jitter

I
-V

power
gain abs Frequency

• Using high frequency detector and 50 GHz electronic

spectrum analyser → five harmonics for 10 GHz lasers
• The RF spectrum → set of Lorentzians [Haus&Mecozzi, IEEE
(1993) ] 2∆ωRF ,n
S RF ( ω ) : ∑ ∆ ω 2
(1), with RF , n ~ n
n ( ω − nω r ) + ∆ω RF ,n
2 2

• The linewidth of the 1st RF peak is related to the timing

jitter by
∆ν RF Tr
σ Novel
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for = TPhotonics
pp
(2)
Applications
2π
r
 Measurement of the RF linewidth

0 25

-20 20

RF Linewidth (kHz)
Power (dBm)

-40 15

-60 10

-80 5

-100 0
9370 9371 9372 9373 9374 1 2 3 4
Frequency (MHz) Harmonic number

• RF spectrum fits well to a sum of -40

Lorentzians with ΔωRF,n~n2 -50

Power (dBm)
-60

• Amplitude noise is much smaller -70

than timing jitter noise → -80

theory with mainly jitter noise can -90

0 10 20 30 40 50

be applied
Frequency (GHz)

[D. von der Linde, Appl. Phys. (1986)]

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Measurement of the optical
linewidth of a QD-ML lasers
(a)
• The experimentally measured 60
linewidths demonstrate parabolic
behavior 50

40

∆ωn = ∆ω0 + ( n − n0 ) ∆ωRF ,1 (4)

2

Linewidth (MHz)
30

• ΔωRF,1 is the RF linewidth of the 1st

harmonic 20

∆ω 0
10

red line: RMS parabolic fit, 0

-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
(b)
blue line: formula 4
Norm. optical power
1

0.5

0
-100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
Mode number

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Minimum linewidth

1.0 V
• The minimum linewidth 2.0 V
∆ω0 behaves in a similar 2
10 ∆ωn = ∆ω0 + ( n − n0 ) ∆ωRF ,1
2

manner to CW lasers

Linewidth (MHz)
– a Schawlow-Townes-
like dependence with a
rebroadening at the 1
10
high currents:
a
∆ω0 ~ +εP
P
0
10
0 1 2 3 4
Optical power (mW)

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Single mode injection

Power

Wavelength
Master Laser Slave Laser

• We would like to control the emission of the laser by

optical injection

• Low injection power → remain mode-locked regime

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Single mode injection

-10
Black line: free-running
-20 Colored lines: injected MLL
Optical Power (dBm)

-30
• Optical spectrum narrowing
-40

-50

-60
1286 1288 1290 1292 1294 1296
black line: free-running,
Wavelength (nm)
1
red line:1 single-mode injected

• TBP improvement 0.8 0.8

Normalized Intensity

Normalized Power
(10 times smaller)
0.6 0.6
Injection
0.4 0.4
• Red shift
0.2 0.2

0 0
0 20 40 1295 1290 1300
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices
Autocorrelation Time (ps) for Novel Photonics
WavelengthApplications
(nm)
 Dual-mode injection

Power

Wavelength

• With two-mode injection, we can control both the optical

phase and the repetition rate
– Shift the optical comb
– Change the spacing between the comb teeth

TLS Modulator QD-MLL

[Delfyett]
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications
 Dual-mode injection
-20 1 1
-25

Normalized Intensity
0.8 0.8

Normalized Power
Optical Power (dBm)

-30

-35
0.6 0.6

-40 0.4 0.4

-45
0.2 0.2
-50

-55
0 0
1288 1290 1292 1294 1296 1298 1300 1302 0 20 40 1290 1295 1300
Wavelength (nm) Autocorrelation Time (ps) Wavelength (nm)
15
black line: free-running,
RF linewidth (kHz)
• Optical spectrum narrowing 10 red line: dual-mode injected
and tunability 5

• TBP improvement 0
110
50 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200
• Low timing jitter 40
Current (mA)
r etti JσT (fs)

30
PP

20
) sf (

10

Dynamics of Quantum
0
110 Dot
120 Devices
130 140for 150
Novel
160Photonics
170 180Applications
190 200
Current (mA)
 Linewidth measurements

-20

Optical Power (dBm)

• Free-running regime (black): -30
linewidth ~20 MHz
-40

• Single mode injection (red):

-50
only several modes at injected
linewidth are locked to the master
-60
wavelength 230.5 231 231.5 232 232.5
80

• Dual mode injection (blue):

60

Linewidth (MHz)
all modes have narrow linewidths of
~ 100 kHz (equal to that of the master 40
laser)
20

0
Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices
230.5 for 231
Novel Photonics
231.5 Applications
232 232.5
Frequency (THz)
 CAPPA

• CAPPA is the Centre for Applied Photonics and

Process Analysis
• Pharma & Med-Tech industry-led research center
• Funded by Enterprise Ireland (1.25M€+ 0.5 M€ of
capital equipment)

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 CAPPA Rationale

• Enterprise Ireland funded industry-led research centres in

the Institute of Technology
• Pharma and Med-Tech industry are critical to the Cork
region and these industries have many links with CIT, e.g
former CEO of Pfizer is the chairman of CIT
• Imaging and spectroscopy are key for quality control in the
manufacturing industries
• There is a lot of Photonics research in the Cork area but
none closely related to the local pharma and med-tech
industries

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 CAPPA projects

• Project Goal: Automated/New Quality Control

Process
• Funded by an Enterprise Ireland Innovation
Partnership.

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 CAPPA-Pharma project

• Major multinational
based in the South of
Ireland

• Directly funded industrial project to develop an

in-line monitoring of a gas concentration in the
headspace of a sealed ampoule.

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Innovation Partnership

• Optimisation of Optical Assay

Response for Point-of-Care
Testing
• IP Feasibility Study Submitted
• One industrial & One Research Partner
• Funding: Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership.
• Goals: Increase current performance to allow a true POC
footprint for device.
• Utilising UV LEDs at 340nm and integrated micro-optics.

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 CAPPA-Industry

• CAPPA is developing research with industries

that are not experts in photonics
– Innovation partnership (IP) with Alcon,
Abbott (with NUIG) and feasibility study for
IP with Audit (with Tyndall)
• Direct industry funding from Logitech &Pharma
• CAPPA aims to attract new industry and
develop key partnerships.
• Tyndall will be a major player since CAPPA
does not have neither fabrication nor
packaging facilities.

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 THz physics?

• Acquired a THz FTIR equipped with a He-cooled

cryostat
• Study intra-band transitions in quantum dot
structures
– Ochalski’s SIRG and FET submission to study
quantum cascade quantum dots

Fig. 3: The proposed new superlattice-QD cascade structure.

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 International collaborators

Dynamics of Quantum Dot Devices for Novel Photonics Applications

 Photonic Device Dynamics
Dynamics of Quantum DotGuillaume
Devices for NovelHuyet
Photonics Applications