We demonstrate mode locking in a two-section quantum-dot laser that produces output powers up to 45 mW at 1260 nm. The pulse duration could be varied from 2 ps to as short as 400 fs at the 21 GHz pulse repetition rate.

The authors report a direct measurement of the absorption dynamics in an InAs $p\text{‐}i\text{‐}n$ ridge waveguide quantum dot modulator. The carrier escape mechanisms are investigated via subpicosecond pump-probe measurements at room temperature, under reverse bias conditions. The optical pulses employed are degenerate in wavelength with the quantum dot ground state transition at $1.28\mu \mathrm{m}$ . The absorption change recovers with characteristic times ranging from $62\mathrm{ps}$ $\left(0\mathrm{V}\right)\text{to}\sim 700\mathrm{fs}$ $(-10\mathrm{V})$ , showing a decrease of nearly two orders of magnitude. The authors show that at low applied fields, this recovery is attributed to thermionic emission while for higher applied fields, tunneling becomes the dominant mechanism.

Internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of a blue high-brightness InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode (LED) was evaluated from the external quantum efficiency measured as a function of current at various temperatures ranged between 13 and 440 K. Processing the data with a novel evaluation procedure based on the ABC-model, we have determined the temperature-dependent IQE of the LED structure and light extraction efficiency of the LED chip. Separate evaluation of these parameters is helpful for further optimization of the heterostructure and chip designs. The data obtained enable making a guess on the temperature dependence of the radiative and Auger recombination coefficients, which may be important for identification of dominant mechanisms responsible for the efficiency droop in III-nitride LEDs. Thermal degradation of the LED performance in terms of the emission efficiency is also considered.

Advanced nanophotonics penetrates into other areas of science and technology, ranging from applied physics to biology, which results in many fascinating cross-disciplinary applications. It has been recently demonstrated that suitably engineered light-matter interactions at the nanoscale can overcome the limitations of today’s terahertz (THz) photoconductive antennas, making them one step closer to many practical implications. Here, we push forward this concept by comprehensive numerical optimization and experimental investigation of a log-periodic THz photoconductive antenna coupled to a silver nanoantenna array. We shed light on the operation principles of the resulting hybrid THz antenna, providing an approach to boost its performance. By tailoring the size of silver nanoantennas and their arrangement, we obtain an enhancement of optical-to-THz conversion efficiency 2-fold larger compared with previously reported results for similar structures, and the strongest enhancement is around 1 THz, a frequency range barely achievable by other compact THz sources. We also propose a cost-effective fabrication procedure to realize such hybrid THz antennas with optimized plasmonic nanostructures via thermal dewetting process, which does not require any post processing and makes the proposed solution very attractive for applications.