arXiv subjects

Hermann Kahle

Publications and source records attributed to Hermann Kahle.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Microchip semiconductor membrane external-cavity surface-emitting laser

We demonstrate the first microchip semiconductor membrane external-cavity surface-emitting laser. This compact type of laser consists solely of a semiconductor gain region present as a micron-thin membrane, sandwiched between two transparent heat spreaders. The heat spreaders have a highly reflective coating on their outer facets, which assembles the laser's plane-parallel solid-state cavity with a total length of just ~1 mm. One of the coatings with slightly reduced reflectivity acts as outcoupling mirror. The microchip membrane external-cavity surface-emitting laser (microchip MECSEL) is optically pumped with a standard fiber-coupled diode laser module emitting at 808 nm and stabilizes itself due to an occurring thermal lens. More than one watt of continuous wave output power around 1123 nm and a record value in fitted slope efficiency of ~51.4 % with MECSELs, while maintaining excellent beam quality (TEM_00, M^2 < 1.05), is demonstrated. Important properties of semiconductor lasers such as the efficiency, beam quality, and polarization were investigated. Further, this setup was used to characterize the thermal lens and it's dependence on the absorbed pump power in the microchip MECSEL. Such systems represent an attractive solution, when high-power output at customizable emission wavelength with excellent beam quality is needed in combination with very compact built size.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Purcell-enhanced single-photon emission from InAs/GaAs quantum dots coupled to broadband cylindrical nanocavities

On-chip emitters that can generate single and entangled photons are essential building blocks for developing photonic quantum information processing technologies in a scalable fashion. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are attractive candidates that emit high-quality quantum states of light on demand, however at a rate limited by their spontaneous radiative lifetime. In this study, we utilize the Purcell effect to demonstrate up to a 38-fold enhancement in the emission rate of InAs QDs by coupling them to metal-clad GaAs nanopillars. These cavities, featuring a sub-wavelength mode volume of 4.5x10-4 ({\lambda}/n)3 and low quality factor of 62, enable Purcell-enhanced single-photon emission across a large bandwidth of 15 nm. The broadband nature of the cavity eliminates the need for implementing tuning mechanisms typically required to achieve QD-cavity resonance, thus relaxing fabrication constraints. Ultimately, this QD-cavity architecture represents a significant stride towards developing solid-state quantum emitters generating near-ideal single-photon states at GHz-level repetition rates.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Multi-type quantum well semiconductor membrane external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (MECSELs) for widely tunable continuous wave operation

Membrane external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (MECSELs) are at the forefront of pushing the performance limits of vertically emitting semiconductor lasers. Their simple idea of using just a very thin (hundreds of nanometers to few microns) gain membrane opens up new possibilities through uniform double side optical pumping and superior heat extraction from the active area. Moreover, these advantages of MECSELs enable more complex band gap engineering possibilities for the active region by the introduction of multiple types of quantum wells (QWs) to a single laser gain structure. In this paper, we present a new design strategy for laser gain structures with several types of QWs. The aim is to achieve broadband gain with relatively high power operation and potentially a flat spectral tuning range. The emphasis in our design is on ensuring sufficient gain over a wide wavelength range, having uniform pump absorption, and restricted carrier mobility between the different quantum wells during laser operation. A full-width half-maximum tuning range of > 70 nm (> 21.7 THz) with more than 125 mW of power through the entire tuning range at room temperature is demonstrated.

physics.optics↗