Anand Gopinath, Associate Fellow

Modeling of Vertical Lasers; Integrated Optical Circuits; Linearized Optical Modulators

This research group developed a selfconsistent model of the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser. They have written a scalar two-dimensional code for the cylindrical geometry in terms of r-z coordinates, and all the modes possible for the tranverse electric (TE) and tranverse magnetic (TM) modes have been identified and categorized. They are modifying this code to do the vector solutions.

The group continued their work on integrated optics, integrated switch structures using semiconductor laser amplifiers as the switch elements, integrated semiconductor laser amplifiers with Faraday rotation isolation, dielectric waveguide amplifiers, and dielectric waveguide amplified spontaneous emission sources. All these devices require waveguide mode solvers, with and without gain/loss, and in the case of the Faraday rotation isolator, anisotropic media.

A new, related area of research begun this year involved linearized optical modulators. These modulators provide high optical index of modulation for optical communication systems. The researchers designed the modulators by using the directional coupler with variable coupling. The spatially varying coupling function can be obtained by the Fourier transform technique. However, a more accurate coupling function can be obtained by the iterative Gelfand-Levitan-Marchenko method, which requires an efficient calculation tool. The researchers are using Supercomputing Institute resources to run the matlab and mathematica programs needed for these calculations.

Research Group

Kang-Hyun Baek, Research Associate
William Berglund, Graduate Student Researcher
Ben Ellerbusch, Graduate Student Researcher
Sangin Kim, Graduate Student Researcher
Prakash Koonath, Graduate Student Researcher
Chanin Laliew, Graduate Student Researcher
Dan Olson, Graduate Student Researcher
Ross Schermer, Graduate Student Researcher
Wei Yang, Graduate Student Researcher