Abstract

Anomalous polarization-dependent emission characteristics such as two-polarization coexistence, switching and bistability have been observed in strained InGaAsP/InP semiconductor lasers. In particular, an S-shaped TE-TM polarization bistability at room temperature could recently be demonstrated in strained ridge-waveguide 1.3 µm InGaAsP/InP lasers by Klehr et al. [1], These structures are of particular interest for device applications like optical switches as the switching times between TE and TM emission are on the order of 50 ps for impulsive current modulation.

© 1996 IEEE