UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Santa Barbara
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Problem Set No. 6 Issued: May 13, 2011

Spring 2011 Due: May 20, 2011, 12 PM

ECE 135

1. In a laser carrier number should reach its threshold value before lasing emission can start.
Therefore, if a sudden current step is applied to a laser, lasing will not start before the carrier
number reaches its threshold value. This delay is known as the turn on delay td. Using rate
equations obtain an expression for the carrier number in a laser as a function of time if a current
step rising to I f is applied to the laser at t = 0 . Using this expression obtain an expression for the
turn on delay. Assume that the current at t = 0 is I i , hence the current step amplitude is I f I i .

2. A long wavelength laser diode has the following parameters:

Wavelength = 1.55 m
Cavity length L = 250 m
Cavity depth d = 0.2 m
Active region width w = 2 m
Optical mode confinement factor = 0.3
Cavity index of refraction n = 3.2
Internal loss per unit length = 35 cm-1
Gain constant a = 3 x 10-16 cm2
Carrier density at transparency N0 = 1 x 1018 cm -3
Carrier lifetime at threshold e = 2.2 ns
Photon lifetime 2 ps

Calculate the following

(a) The carrier density at threshold.

(b) The current at threshold.

(c) The external quantum efficiency at twice the threshold.

(d) The slope of the L-I curve.

(e) The current density in KA/cm2 for a light output of 2 mW.

(f) How close has this diode, operated at 2 mW, approached the ideal limit of producing one useful
photon per injected electron hole pair?

(g) What would you be most likely doing to try to improve this number?
3. Start with the rate equations for a single mode semiconductor laser. Obtain expressions for the
photon and electron densities inside the laser as a function of current. Evaluate these numerically
and plot the electron and photon densities as a function of current for photon lifetime
p = 1012 sec , carrier lifetime n = 109 sec , spontaneous emission lifetime sp = 109 sec ,
confinement factor = 0.6 , transparency carrier concentration N t = 1.2 1018 cm-3 , group
index ng = 3.6 and differential gain coefficient of g = 3.7 1016 cm 2 . Assume the length and
width of the laser are 200 and 2 m respectively, and the active layer thickness is 0.5 m.
Calculate the threshold current and threshold carrier concentration for this laser. Compare these
values with the plot you generated and comment on your result.

4. Reading assignment: Reading assignment: Fiber Optic Communication Systems, Govind P.

Agrawal, Sections 4.1, 4.2 and Heterostructures.