Thermal Profiling of Photonic Devices: Insights into their Internal Working

Photonic devices such as semiconductor lasers, absorbers, and
semiconductor optical amplifiers are usually being characterized and
studied using measurements of the optical output and/or input powers, in
addition to other experimental parameters. With the goal of monolithic
integration into Photonic Integrated Circuits in mind, these
measurements are impossible since the optical power cannot be accessed.
I will show in my presentation how surface temperature measurements can
be used to accurately find the optical power loss/generation in
semiconductor lasers, absorbers, and amplifiers. In addition, these
temperature measurements allow measuring the photon distribution inside
the device, and these measurements compare quantitatively with
simulations using spatially resolved rate equations.
As a future application, I will talk about some of our past work on
optical feedback on vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs),
and ideas to combine the thermal profiling and optical feedback research
strains.