Abstract

Spin-polarized vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (spin-VCSELs) offer the opportunity to generate high frequency polarization modulation dynamics, potentially enabling ultrafast optical communications. We use pulsed circular polarized optical pumping, leading to a transient spin imbalance in the carrier-spin-photon system via the optical selection rules. This results in an oscillation in the circular polarization degree. We employ a single-mode oxide-confined 850 nm VCSEL. In earlier work [1] we showed that the resonance frequency of the polarization oscillations is determined by the birefringence-induced mode splitting of the two linearly polarized VCSEL cavity modes. The polarization oscillation frequency was tunable up to 44 GHz by applying external strain. Furthermore, the polarization oscillation can be switched on and off by multiple pulses, leading to short polarization bursts [2].

© 2017 IEEE