Dynamics of high-contrast grating vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with lateral optical feedback by a heterostructure interface

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of high-contrast grating vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (HCG-VCSEL) with a lateral optical feedback cavity. The lateral optical feedback is realized by the reflection at the heterostructure interface between two different HCGs. The lateral optical feedback cavity possesses slow light which can be tuned by changing HCG parameters, and can control the dynamics of the HCG-VCSEL. The optical feedback can enhance the -3-dB bandwidth and enlarge the eye openings of diagrams of the HCG-VCSEL, and can also reduce the frequency chirp. The HCG-VCSEL with a lateral optical feedback cavity can achieve a -3-dB bandwidth of 37.7 GHz at 12 mA and eye diagrams at 60 Gbps (non-return to zero format) and 50 GBaud (4-level pulse amplitude modulation format) with sufficient openings.