Direct tunneling modulation and signal mixing of semiconductor lasers

The transistor laser invented by Feng and Holonyak is a unique device that bridges the gap between high-speed III-V compound semiconductor transistors and high-speed semiconductor lasers. In a highly integrated fashion, the transistor laser is capable of simultaneous transistor electrical operation and electron-to-photon conversion. The three-terminal transistor structure has the potential to overcome the diode laser’s modulation speed limit by further reducing the carrier recombination lifetime. In addition, a recently discovered tunneling mechanism inside the transistor laser device structure paves the way for ultrahigh-speed direct modulation of laser optical output. In this work, the operation of the transistor laser is reviewed and compared against the conventional diode laser; both current modulation and tunneling modulation of the transistor laser are formulated and analyzed, which leads to the demonstration of direct photonic signal mixing. This work establishes the fundamentals of the transistor laser device operation and presents the transistor laser as an integrated, multi-functional optoelectronic device.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Qiu, Junyi

Contributors dc:contributor

• Feng, Milton
• Dallesasse, John
• Dragic, Peter
• Jin, Jianming

• Compound semiconductor
• transistor
• laser
• transistor laser
• tunneling

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2019 Junyi Qiu

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106366

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/106366