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IEEE photonics journal

Breakthroughs in Photonics 2014: Time-Scale-Dependent Nonlinear Dynamics in InAs/InP Quantum Dot Gain Media: From High-Speed Modulation to Coherent Light–Matter Interactions

G. Eisenstein, Ouri Karni, Akhilesh Kumar Mishra, Amir Capua, David Gready, Vitalii I. Sichkovskyi, Vitalii Ivanov, Johann Peter Reithmaier

Published Mar 18, 2015• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The dynamical properties of InP-based quantum dot (QD) gain media are surveyed and analyzed for three time scales ranging from tens of picoseconds to less than 200 fs, where quantum coherent phenomena are observable. Each of these time scales determines the important properties of QD devices, i.e., modulation capabilities, nonlinear gain, and coherent light-matter interactions. Experimental investigations and modeling results are described, highlighting the state of the art in QD devices for the important 1550-nm telecom wavelength range.

DOI
10.1109/jphot.2015.2414171

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The dynamical properties of InP-based quantum dot (QD) gain media are surveyed and analyzed for three time scales ranging from tens of picoseconds to less than 200 fs, where quantum coherent phenomena are observable. Each of these time scales determines the important properties of QD devices, i.e., modulation capabilities, nonlinear gain, and coherent light-matter interactions. Experimental investigations and modeling results are described, highlighting the state of the art in QD devices for the important 1550-nm telecom wavelength range.
We measured the gain dynamics at the ground-state transition in an electrically pumped InP/AlGaInP quantum-dot optical amplifier at room temperature by femtosecond differential transmission. The gain shows an ultrafast recovery within 200 fs, even faster than in state-of-the-art InAs/GaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. This finding, likely to be due to the less confined and more closely spaced hole levels in InP dots, is promising for optical signal processing at high bit rates. We furthermore measured the pump-induced refractive index changes and deduced a linewidth enhancement factor similar to the one in InAs/GaAs quantum dots.
Light matter coherent interactions require that the coherent state induced in the matter be maintained for the duration of the observation. The only way to induce and observe such interactions in room temperature semiconductors, where the coherence time is of the order of a few hundred femtoseconds, is to use ultrashort pulse excitations and an ultrafast characterization technique. For media comprising an ensemble of nanostructure semiconductors such as self-assembled quantum dots, the gain broadening inhomogeneity also affects the interaction. Moreover, when gain media in the form of an active waveguide, such as optical amplifiers, are used, the interaction is distributed and includes nonresonant incoherent phenomena that occur simultaneously with the coherent effects. Such a complex system can exhibit, nevertheless, clear coherent interactions even at room temperature. Using InAs/InP quantum dot and wirelike quantum dash amplifiers, Rabi oscillations, self-induced transparency, coherent control using spectral pulse shaping, Ramsey interference, and photon echo have been demonstrated. The characterization employed cross frequency resolved optical gating, and the experiments were accompanied by a comprehensive finite difference time domain model that solves the Maxwell and Lindblad equations. This work has major implications on the understanding of the details of dynamical processes in active semiconductor devices, on short pulse generation from semiconductor lasers, and on various future quantum devices.
We present a numerical study of coherent control in a room temperature InAs/InP quantum dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) using shaped ultra-short pulses. Both the gain and absorption regimes were analyzed for pulses with central wavelengths lying on either side of the inhomogeneously broadened gain spectrum. The numerical experiments predict that in the gain regime the coherent interactions between a QD SOA and a pulse can be controlled by incorporating a quadratic spectral phase (QSP) in the pulse profile. The sequential interaction with the gain medium of different spectral components of the pulse results in either suppression or enhancement of the coherent signatures on the pulse profile depending upon their proximity to the gain spectrum peak. In the absorption regime, positive QSP induces a negative chirp that adds up to that of a two photon absorption induced Kerr-like effect resulting in pulse compression while negative QSP enhances dispersive broadening of the pulse.
Quantum dot (QD)-based semiconductor optical amplifiers offer unique properties compared with conventional devices based on bulk or quantum well material. Due to the bandfilling properties of QDs and the existence of a nearby reservoir of carriers in the form of a wetting layer, QD semiconductor optical amplifiers may be operated in regimes of high linearity, i.e. with a high saturation power, but can also show strong and fast nonlinearities by breaking the equilibrium between discrete dot states and the continuum of wetting layer states. In this paper, we analyse the interplay of these two carrier populations in terms of a simple rate equation model. Based on the steady-state and small-signal properties of the model, we analyse and discuss the optical modulation response and the four-wave mixing properties of QD semiconductor optical amplifiers, in particular emphasizing the role of ultrafast gain dynamics.
The use of ultrashort pulses allows to induce and observe quantum coherent effects in optical gain media where the coherence time is longer than the excitation pulses namely, room temperature quantum dot ensembles. We use InAs/InP quantum dot optical amplifiers as the experimental platform and have demonstrated effects such as coherently controlled Rabi Oscillations, Ramsey Fringes, Photon`Echoes, Prolongation of dephasing time via induced three pulse photon echoes. Recently we have advanced the field by demonstrating a hallmark experiment of quantum optics: Quantum Coherent collapse and revival which was never observed in a solid let alone at room temperature.
Slow and fast light in quantum-well (QW) and quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) using nonlinear quantum optical effects are presented.We demonstrate electrical and optical controls of fast light using the coherent population oscillation (CPO) and four wave mixing (FWM) in the gain regime of QW SOAs.We then consider the dependence on the wavelength and modal gain of the pump in QW SOAs.To enhance the tunable photonic delay of a single QW SOA, we explore a serial cascade of multiple amplifiers.A model for the number of QW SOAs in series with variable optical attenuation is developed and matched to the experimental data.We demonstrate the scaling law and the bandwidth control by using the serial cascade of multiple QW SOAs.Experimentally, we achieve a phase change of 160 • and a scaling factor of four at 1 GHz using the cascade of four QW SOAs.Finally, we investigate CPO and FWM slow and fast light of QD SOAs.The experiment shows that the bandwidth of the time delay as a function of the modulation frequency changes in the absorption and gain regimes due to the carrier-lifetime variation.The tunable phase shift in QD SOA is compared between the ground-and first excited-state transitions with different modal gains.