Spectral dynamics of picosecond gain-switched pulses from nitride-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Short pulses generated from low-cost semiconductor lasers by a simple gain-switching technique have attracted enormous attention because of their potential usage in wide applications. Therein, reducing the durations of gain-switched pulses is a key technical point for promoting their applications. Therefore, understanding the dynamic characteristics of gain-switched pulses is highly desirable. Herein, we used streak camera to investigate the time- and spectral-resolved lasing characteristics of gain-switched pulses from optically pumped InGaN single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. We found that fast initial components with ultra-short durations far below our temporal resolution of 5.5 ps emerged on short-wavelength sides, while the entire pulses were down-chirped, resulting in the simultaneous broadening of the spectrum and pulse width. The measured chirp characteristics were quantitatively explained using a single-mode rate-equation model, combined with carrier-density-dependent gain and index models. The observed universal fast short-wavelength components can be useful in generating even shorter pulses from gain-switched semiconductor lasers.