Phase-locking regimes of photonic crystal nanocavity laser arrays

Abstract

We model and analyze the dynamical properties of coupled photonic crystal nanocavity lasers. The model includes Purcell enhancement of the spontaneous emission and intercavity coupling. The coupling strength between neighboring cavities is an essential parameter, and by performing finite-difference time-domain calculations, the typical coupling strength is extracted for realistic structures. Phase-locking regimes are identified, and their stability with respect to parameter variation is investigated. The results suggest that quantum well devices are not well suited for phase-locked nanocavity laser array devices. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.