High-Power Directional Emission from Microlasers with Chaotic Resonators

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that deformed optical resonators in microlasers can significantly enhance power and directivity, with bow-tie resonances leading to up to a thousandfold power increase over traditional circular designs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel resonator shape that achieves high-power, directional emission in microlasers, surpassing conventional circular resonator performance.

Findings

Power increase of up to three orders of magnitude in certain directions

Identification of bow-tie resonances as key to improved performance

Applicable to various semiconductor laser types

Abstract

High-power and highly directional semiconductor cylinder-lasers based on an optical resonator with deformed cross section are reported. In the favorable directions of the far-field, a power increase of up to three orders of magnitude over the conventional circularly symmetric lasers was obtained. A "bow-tie"-shaped resonance is responsible for the improved performance of the lasers in the higher range of deformations, in contrast to "whispering-gallery"-type modes of circular and weakly deformed lasers. This resonator design, although demonstrated here in midinfrared quantum-cascade lasers, should be applicable to any laser based on semiconductors or other high-refractive index materials.