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2 Oed - M2

The document discusses the principles and operation of lasers. It begins by defining laser as "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation" and describes the process of stimulated emission. It explains that population inversion is required for optical amplification and lasing. Key laser features like high radiance, narrow spectrum, fast response time and coupling into small fibers are highlighted. The document also discusses Einstein relations, threshold conditions, axial modes, hetero-junction lasers, and distributed feedback and Bragg reflector lasers.

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Christy Polly
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40 views27 pages

2 Oed - M2

The document discusses the principles and operation of lasers. It begins by defining laser as "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation" and describes the process of stimulated emission. It explains that population inversion is required for optical amplification and lasing. Key laser features like high radiance, narrow spectrum, fast response time and coupling into small fibers are highlighted. The document also discusses Einstein relations, threshold conditions, axial modes, hetero-junction lasers, and distributed feedback and Bragg reflector lasers.

Uploaded by

Christy Polly
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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• Laser – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of

Radiation.
• Stimulated emission → process by which an incoming
photon can interact with an excited electron, causing it
to drop to a lower energy level.
• Released energy creates a new photon identical to the
incident photons → Identical in phase, frequency,
polarization, and direction of travel.
• This is in contrast to normal absorption in which the
photon causes an electron rise to a higher energy level.
• Stimulated emission can result in optical amplification if
population inversion is present.
• If an external energy source stimulates more than 50% of
the atoms in the ground state into excited state, then
what is called a population inversion is created.
• When photons are incident → either absorbed by ground
state atoms to rise in energy or stimulate the excited
electrons.
• With population inversion, there are more excited
electrons than ground electrons → hence light
amplification results.
Features of laser
• High radiance of several mw → optical power per unit
area.
• Narrow spectrum (less than 2nm) → monochromatic
• Low response time (less than 2ns)
• Couples optical power into fibers of small dimension.
• Two conditions for lasing:
➢ The gain must be at least equal to the loss in the
medium.
➢ The radiation must be coherent.
•
Einstein relation
• Three optical process : absorption, spontaneous emission,
stimulated emission.
• Einstein relation : the relationship between the processs.

• under thermal equilibrium.


• i.e. rate of upward transition equals downward transition.
• Relation of population of two energy levels is:
gD1 & gD2 are degeneracies of
the levels → similar to density
of states Nc & Nv.
If are discrete, gD1 &
gD2 are unity.
(1)
• Absorption rate →stimulated transition rate from E1 to E2.

• B12 → Einstein coefficient , Ψ(ν) → radiation density.


• Electrons in higher level can come down either by
spontaneous emission or stimulated emission.
• Average carrier lifetime before spontaneous emission is τ21.
• Spontaneous emission rate is N2A21 where A21= 1/τ21 →
Einstein coefficient for spontaneous emission.
• Rate of stimulated downward transition is
• Therefore total downward transition rate is:

• Under thermal equilibrium r12 = r21

• Therefore
• Comparing the radiation from a two energy level system
and a black body,

• These are Einsten relation.


• Comparing the radiation from a two energy level system
and a black body,

• These are Einsten relation.


• Ration of the stimulated emission rate to the spontaneous
emission rate is given by

• For normal two level system, value of this ratio is very


small.
Threshold condition for lasing
• Spontaneous emission requires population inversion → more
electrons in higher energy level (E2) than in lower level (E1).
• Two conditions are necessary for lasing:
➢The gain must be at least equal to the loss in the medium.
➢The radiation must be coherent.
• Coherence is obtained by placing the lasing medium in a
Fabry-Perot cavity.
• Length of cavity is l = mλ/2 → λ is a wavelength near the peak
of the spontaneous emission spectrum.
• R1 & R2 are reflectivity of
end mirrors.
• g & γ → gain and loss
coefficients.

• Loss factors in the system include:


1.Transmission at the mirrors.
2.Absorption, scattering and diffraction losses at the mirrors.
3.Absorption in the cladding.
4.Scattering at the defects.
• Threshold gain is calculated considering the change in light
beam intensity undergoing a round trip within the cavity.
• The light intensity at the center, after travelling the length of
2l, is given by
I = I0R1R2e2(g-γ)l I0 is the initial intensity
• At threshold, gain is equal to loss → current intensity (I) is
equal to initial intensity (I0).
I = I0
1 = R1R2e2(gth-γ)l
• The second
term represents
useful laser
output.
• It depends on
mirror
reflectivities.
Axial laser modes
• In spite of the cavity, the laser output consists of multiple
discrete frequency components → axial modes.
• Laser is generated with wavelength λ such that,
I = mλ/2nr
I → length of the cavity,
m → mode number
nr → refractive index of the medium.

• Since λ = c/ν, l = mc/2νnr


• Different frequency components are νm = mc/2lnr
• Frequency separation b/w adjacent modes is
δν = c/2lnr independent of m
Hetro-junction laser
• The cavity losses(λ) in homo-junction
laser is higher → results in high current
density → cannot be operated
continuously.
• Figure shows the schematic and band
diagram.
• Electrons are injected from n+ type
GaAs layer to the p type GaAs layer.
• Diffusion of electrons is restricted by the
p type AlGaAs layer because of higher
bandgap.
• i.e. small active region thickness → small current flow →
higher power efficiency.
• Higher band-gap also confines the optical modes.
• In junction laser, mirror based
cavities are used to achieve
feedback.

• Emission of single frequency can


be obtained by using corrugated
structure.
• Feedback is achieved by Bragg diffraction at the corrugation.
• Results in reradiation of waves with same frequency.
• Two types of lasers possible : Distributed feedback laser (DFB),
Distributed Bragg Reflector laser (DBR).
Distributed Feedback Laser (DFB)
• Active layer is p-type GaAs with 0.2 μm thickness.
• It is confined between a p-type AlGaAs and n-type AlGaAs
layers.
• Two roles for these layers:
1) helps to confine the radiation within the active GaAs layer.
2) leakage of optical field into the corrugation layer.
• Gain is provided by the active layer.
• Feedback by the corrugation at the interface of two p-type
AlGaAs layers as shown in the figure.
Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) Laser
• The corrugated surface is placed outside active region.
• the wavelength produced is given by

Δ – grating period
ne- mode propagation constant
L – integer representing grating order -
usually 1.
Note : disadvantages of DFB & DBR lasers
1. High threshold current needed.
2. Susceptible to High frequency noise

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