It is shown that dynamics of delay-coupled quantum cascade lasers can be described in good approximation by the simpler set of rate equations for conventional interband diode lasers. A comparison of the steady-state solutions for locking shows excellent agreement with results obtained by time integrations of the full rate equations. The delay introduces an effective coupling phase equal to the product of operation frequency and delay time and the detuning width of the locking range is shown to periodically change when the delay time changes over an interval equal to half of the operation oscillation period.

© (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Andreas Herdt, Markus Weidmann, Till Mohr, Daan Lenstra, and Wolfgang Elsäßer, "Theory of delay-coupled nonidentical quantum cascade lasers," Proc. SPIE 10682, Semiconductor Lasers and Laser Dynamics VIII, 106820H (Presented at SPIE Photonics Europe: April 24, 2018; Published: 9 May 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2305907.