Picosecond lasing dynamics of gain-switched quantum well lasers and its dependence on quantum well structures

Time-resolved spectra of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well (QW) lasers generating picosecond pulses were measured by a streak camera with a monochromator in order to clarify ultrafast lasing dynamics in short pulse generation by a gain switching method. Effects of QW structures (such as the number of quantum wells and the barrier thickness) on picosecond lasing dynamics were investigated. The results show that both generated pulse forms and dynamic behavior of lasing spectra strongly depend on the QW structures. The significance of two-dimensional quantum confinement for high bit rate, short pulse generation is demonstrated by comparing a coupled and an uncoupled QW laser.<
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