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The linear polarization of the optical gain of closely stacked InAs/InP (100) quantum dots (QDs) grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy with emission wavelength tuned into the 1.55 μm region is controlled by the number of stacked QD layers and the injection current. Increasing the number of stacked QD layers to five rotates the linear polarization of the cleaved-side photoluminescence and QD ground state (GS) gain, determined from the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of a Fabry–Pérot ridge-waveguide laser, from transverse electric (TE) to transverse magnetic due to vertical electronic coupling. When the QD GS ASE and gain saturate with an increase of the injection current and the excited state ASE and gain become dominant, the linear polarization of ASE and gain changes back to TE. This limits the polarization insensitive operation of QD-based semiconductor optical amplifiers, however, opening routes to novel functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report lasing of InAs/InGaAsP/InP (100) quantum dots (QDs) wavelength tuned into the 1.55 μm telecom region. Wavelength control of the InAs QDs in an InGaAsP/InP waveguide is based on the suppression of As/P exchange through ultrathin GaAs interlayers. The narrow ridge-waveguide QD lasers operate in continuous wave mode at room temperature on the QD ground state transition. The low threshold current density of 580 A/cm2 and low transparency current density of 6 A/cm2 per QD layer, measured in pulsed mode, are accompanied by low loss and high gain with an 80-nm-wide gain spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]