Effect of excited states on the ground-state modulation bandwidth in quantum dot lasers

We consider direct and indirect (excited-state-mediated) capture of carriers from the waveguide region into the lasing ground state in quantum dots (QDs) and calculate the modulation response of a QD laser. We show that, when only indirect capture is involved, the excited-to-ground-state relaxation delay strongly limits the ground-state modulation bandwidth of the laser-at the longest tolerable relaxation time, the bandwidth becomes zero. When direct capture is also involved, the effect of excited-to-ground-state relaxation is less significant and the modulation bandwidth is considerably higher. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.