Modeling room-temperature lasing spectra of 1.3-μm self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum-dot lasers: Homogeneous broadening of optical gain under current injection.

We studied the injection current dependence of room-temperature lasing spectra of a 1.3-μm self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum-dot laser both experimentally and theoretically. Starting from the ground-state lasing with a few longitudinal modes, the spectra showed splitting, broadening, excited-state lasing, and quenching of the ground-state lasing as the current increased. We could explain this unique current dependence by numerical simulation based on our quantum-dot laser theory, taking into account the inhomogeneous and homogeneous broadening of the optical gain as well as the carrier relaxation processes in the spatially isolated quantum dots. Through the simulation, we found that the homogeneous broadening of the ground state is kept between 5 and 10 meV under the ground-state lasing, while it increases up to 20 meV under the excited-state lasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]