Wavelength dependence of 1/f noise in the light output of laser diodes: an experimental study

The optical power emitted by a monomode GaAlAs laser is filtered with a monochromator. The 1/f noise in the filtered emission is found to be directly dependent on the noncoherent emission, such as S/sub p/ alpha P/sub nc//sup m/. Here s/sub p/ is the spectral density of the 1/f fluctuations, P/sub nc/ is the average noncoherent power, m=3/2 under spontaneous emission, and m=4 in the superradiation and laser regions. Study of the 1/f noise in the optical power in a band centered at the laser wavelength and with variable bandwidth shows three operating regions. (1) LED region (at low currents): the fluctuations with a 1/f spectrum are uncorrelated in wavelength. (2) Superradiation region (at currents close to the threshold): the fluctuations are correlated. (3) Laser region: the 1/f noise apparently is dominated by noncoherent emission within a small optical band around the laser wavelength.<
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