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arXiv · 1605.03028

Demonstration of a self-pulsing photonic crystal Fano laser

Abstract

Semiconductor lasers in use today rely on mirrors based on the reflection at a cleaved facet or Bragg reflection from a periodic stack of layers. Here, we demonstrate an ultra-small laser with a mirror based on the Fano resonance between a continuum of waveguide modes and the discrete resonance of a nanocavity. The Fano resonance leads to unique laser characteristics. Since the Fano mirror is very narrow-band compared to conventional lasers, the laser is single-mode and in particular, it can be modulated via the mirror. We show, experimentally and theoretically, that nonlinearities in the mirror may even promote the generation of a self-sustained train of pulses at gigahertz frequencies, an effect that was previously only observed in macroscopic lasers. Such a source is of interest for a number of applications within integrated photonics.

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Yi Yu, Weiqi Xue, Elizaveta Semenova, Kresten Yvind, Jesper Mork. 2016-05-10. Demonstration of a self-pulsing photonic crystal Fano laser. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.248

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