Large and Small Signal Analyses of Spin Modulation in Lasers

We have developed a set of rate equations for semiconductor spin-lasers that contain spin-polarized carriers (electrons and holes) in the active region due to spin-polarized (electrical or optical) injection. Previous studies consider the steady-state regime [1-5], showing advantages of the spin-lasers over its conventional counterparts such as threshold reduction and enhanced emission intensity [6]. We suggest a further improvement of spin lasers under dynamical operation. We use both large and small signal analyses to show that the spin-polarized injection can lead to an enhanced bandwidth and desirable switching properties of spin-lasers. Supported by ONR, AFOSR, NSF-ECCS CAREER. \\[4pt] [1] J. Rudolph et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 4516 (2003). \\[0pt] [2] M. Holub et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 146603 (2007). \\[0pt] [3] S. Hovel et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 041118 (2008). \\[0pt] [4] C. Gothgen, R. Oszwaldowski, A. Petrou, I. Zutic, Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 042513 (2008). \\[0pt] [5] I. Vurgaftman et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 031102 (2008). \\[0pt] [6] J. Lee, W. Falls, R. Oszwaldowski, and I. Zutic, Appl. Phys. Lett. 97, 041116 (2010).