STATIC AND DYNAMIC SIMULATION FOR RIDGE-WAVE-GUIDE MQW DFB LASERS

An efficient and versatile computer-aided simulator for the design and analysis of ridge-waveguide (RWG) multiple-quantum-well (MQW) distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers has been developed and is presented. This simulator combines spectral index method and Green's function-based transfer-matrix method (TMM) to deal with the transverse RWG MQW structure and longitudinal DFB structure, respectively. It is capable of simulating both static and dynamic behaviors for a variety of RWG MQW DFB lasers. The major difference from most of the existing models and analyses is that this simulator is capable of linking important device characteristics with practical material and geometrical parameters directly and self-consistently. For instance, the effects of lateral ridge width, vertical MQW layers and longitudinal nonuniformity are all explicitly included in the simulator. Important laser characteristics, such as L-I curve, effective linewidth enchancement factor, static lasing wavelength shift, spectral linewidth, facet-power spectrum, AM and FM modulation responses, dynamic-wavelength chirping, as well as longitudinal photon and carrier distribution, can be predicted based on material and waveguide parameters. Therefore, this simulator may be used as an efficient and versatile tool for the systemic exploitation and optimization of a wide range of practical RWG MQW DFB lasers. Analysis of a lambda/4 shifted SCH RWG MQW DFB laser is performed to illustrate the capability of this simulator.