Micro/Millimeter-wave Photonics Using Injection-Locked Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

Optical generation of phase-locked, frequency-tunable microwave signals will be demonstrated using a vertical cavity surface emitting laser under external optical injection as the source. Injection of an optical signal into a semiconductor laser modifies the resonant coupling between the carriers and circulating optical field. This modification can be exploited to generate modulated output with a modulation frequency which is tunable in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency regimes. A phase-locked modulated signal can be constructed with a feedback loop and a stable reference. Experimental demonstration will be combined with modeling to determine the laser parameters necessary to generate a tunable carrier frequency in the 20 to 60 GHz range. Near monolithic integration of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers into optoelectronic circuits will be investigated.