Polarisation Dynamics of Quantum Dot VCSELs: Proposal to support Visiting Researcher Dr. D. Alexandropoulos

近年来，垂直腔面发射激光器（VCSELs）的偏振动力学一直是研究的热点。在正交光注入的VCSELs中，对极化开关、双稳性、极限环和混沌等广泛现象进行了理论和实验研究。这些VCSELs的活性区由体或量子阱（QW）材料组成。与此同时，量子点（QD） VCSELs技术也取得了重大进展，其主要优点包括激子增益机制，抑制载流子扩散和低降解率。最近的研究集中在量子点增益介质的开发上，以获得超高的模态增益和增强的调制响应。新的VCSEL腔体设计也被开发出来，以抑制可能导致增益耗尽和自脉动的寄生模式。然而，关于这些量子点vcsel的极化依赖效应的报道还很少。本文提出的QD VCSELs中偏振光注入的理论研究代表了一个全新的研究方向，具有重要的基础意义，必将进一步提高英国的光电子研究水平。

In recent years polarisation dynamics in vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) has been the subject of considerable research effort. A wide range of phenomena including polarisation switching, bistability, limit cycles and chaos has been studied theoretically and experimentally in VCSELs subject to orthogonal optical injection. The active regions of these VCSELs have consisted of bulk or quantum well (QW) material. At the same time, there have been significant advances in the technology of quantum dot (QD) VCSELs, whose key advantages include an excitonic gain mechanism, suppressed carrier diffusion and low degradation rate. Recent research has concentrated on development of QD gain media to give ultrahigh modal gain and enhanced modulation response. Novel VCSEL cavity designs have also been developed to suppress parasitic modes which can cause gain depletion and self-pulsation. However, there are as yet very few reports of polarisation-dependent effects for these QD VCSELs. The theoretical study of polarised optical injection in QD VCSELs that is proposed here represents an entirely new research direction of fundamental importance that is certain to further enhance the UK's optoelectronics research profile.