We experimentally investigate the spectral and polarization properties of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) subject to polarization insensitive optical feedback from an extremely short external cavity (few microns) and find that the wavelength and the current at which the light polarization switches between the two linearly polarized fundamental modes of the VCSEL are periodically modulated with the length of the external cavity. High contrast polarization switching is demonstrated for a quarter-wavelength change of the external cavity length. To explain our experimental findings we suggest a two-mode rate equation VCSEL model that considers the feedback optical field as instantaneous and accounts for multiple roundtrips in the external cavity with different coupling efficiencies back into the laser. Our numerical results are in very good agreement with the experiments.
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12 April 2004
Research Article|
April 12 2004
Polarization switching induced by phase change in extremely short external cavity vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
Krassimir Panajotov;
Krassimir Panajotov
Department of Applied Physics and Photonics (TW-TONA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Mikel Arizaleta;
Mikel Arizaleta
Department of Applied Physics and Photonics (TW-TONA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Miren Camarena;
Miren Camarena
Department of Applied Physics and Photonics (TW-TONA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Hugo Thienpont;
Hugo Thienpont
Department of Applied Physics and Photonics (TW-TONA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Heiko J. Unold;
Heiko J. Unold
Optoelectronics Department, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 45, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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Johannes Michael Ostermann;
Johannes Michael Ostermann
Optoelectronics Department, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 45, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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Rainer Michalzik
Rainer Michalzik
Optoelectronics Department, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 45, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 2763–2765 (2004)
Article history
Received:
September 18 2003
Accepted:
January 28 2004
Citation
Krassimir Panajotov, Mikel Arizaleta, Miren Camarena, Hugo Thienpont, Heiko J. Unold, Johannes Michael Ostermann, Rainer Michalzik; Polarization switching induced by phase change in extremely short external cavity vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Appl. Phys. Lett. 12 April 2004; 84 (15): 2763–2765. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1690468
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