Monte Carlo modeling of the dual-mode regime in quantum-well and quantum-dot semiconductor lasers

Monte Carlo markovian models of a dual-mode semiconductor laser with quantum well (QW) or quantum dot (QD) active regions are proposed. Accounting for carriers and photons as particles that may exchange energy in the course of time allows an ab initio description of laser dynamics such as the mode competition and intrinsic laser noise. We used these models to evaluate the stability of the dual-mode regime when laser characteristics are varied: mode gains and losses, non-radiative recombination rates, intraband relaxation time, capture time in QD, transfer of excitation between QD via the wetting layer... As a major result, a possible steady-state dual-mode regime is predicted for specially designed QD semiconductor lasers thereby acting as a CW microwave or terahertz-beating source whereas it does not occur for QW lasers. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America