Optical Sources
Optical Sources
Optical Sources
Optical Communications
Single-frequency laser
(<0.04 nm) Laser output is many times
higher than LED output; they
would not show on same scale
Standard laser
(1-3 nm wide)
Wavelength
Light Emission
= hc/E(eV)
= wavelength in microns
H = Planks constant
C = speed of light
E = Photon energy in eV
Bandgap Energy and Possible Wavelength
Ranges in Various Materials
SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT-
EMITTING DIODES
Semiconductor LEDs emit incoherent
light.
Spontaneous emission of light in
semiconductor LEDs produces light
waves that lack a fixed-phase
relationship. Light waves that lack a
fixed-phase relationship are referred to
as incoherent light
SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES
Cont…
n1
Light
emission
cone
Mode
Separation g(λ)
Longitudinal
Modes
Optical output vs. drive current of a laser
External Efficiency
Depends on the slope
Threshold Current
Laser threshold depends on
Temperature
Modulation of Optical Sources
I IB
'
B
I I B I th
'
B
I2
t
Current (I)
I(t)
I 2 I1
td sp ln
I 2 I th
t
Turn on Delay (lasers)
I 2 I1
td sp ln
I 2 I th
I2
Input current
Assume step input
I1
Electron density
steadily increases until
threshold value is
reached
Turn
Output optical power on Resonance Freq.
Delay (fr)
Starts to increase only
(td)
after the electrons reach
the threshold
Frequency Response of a Laser
Resonance
Frequency
(fr) limits the
highest
possible
modulation
frequency
Useful Region
Laser Analog
Modulation
P(t)
P(t ) Pt [1 ms(t )]
Here s(t) is the modulating signal,
P(t): output optical power
Pt: mean value S(t)
The modulated spectrum
This pulse increases its frequency linearly in time (from red to blue).