Quantum design of a 1.3 μm InGaPAs semiconductor laser
Semiconductor wafer growth can now produce heterostructures of very high quality with stoichiometrically correct growth of individual monolayers. Despite significant advances in MBE and MOCVD growth technologies, a critical void has remained in predicting the performance of final packaged functional amplifier or laser devices. The lack of predictive semiconductor device design and growth monitoring capability can be traced to the extreme complexity of calculating the semiconductor optical response and radiative-nonradiative recombination rates from first principles. Considering the critical role of the above recombination processes in not only, determining gain and slope efficiency but, also all dynamic properties (modulation rates, gain switching, injection locking etc) of SOAs and SLs, it is clear that the impact of this work reaches well beyond the accurate prediction of an L-I characteristic.
Closed-loop design of a semiconductor laser
We present an overview of a novel first principles quantum approach to designing and optimizing semiconductor QW material systems for target wavelengths. Using these microscopic inputs as basic building blocks we predict the L-I characteristic for a low power InGaPAs ridge laser without having to use adjustable fit parameters. Finally we employ these microscopic inputs to develop sophisticated simulation capabilities for designing and optimizing end packaged high power laser structures. As an explicit example of the latter, we consider the design and experimental demonstration of a vertical external cavity semiconductor laser (VECSEL).
Mathematical Modeling of Scour and Deposition
Electronic computers are opening up the field of sedimentation engineering by permitting the analysis of problems which heretofore have required too much time and effort. Movable stream bed profiles are being calculated in addition to water surface profiles. The initial gradation of sediment material in the stream bed may be prescribed to facilitate the calculation of an armor layer. This gradation is continually changed by the computer program in response to sediment particles being deposited on the stream bed and material on the stream bed being removed to satisfy transport capacity. Hydraulic sorting of sediment by grain size is accomodated. The stream bed does not have to be represented by a single grain size. Retardance of motion because of armor layer is calculated.