Gain pinning and the semiconductor laser equivalent circuit

Summary form only given. We point out for the first time a surprising inconsistency between the conventional small signal analysis and the DC solutions to the standard rate equations. The inconsistency surfaces when we attempt to answer the following question: what is the fundamental limit of laser linearity embodied in the standard rate equations? The answer to this question is the starting point for analyzing the behavior of lasers under high-speed analog modulation.