The Institute for Microstructural Sciences (IMS) is the leading semiconductor optoelectronic device research facility in Canada.  Within IMS, expertise is available in all aspects of laser diode development, including: design, semiconductor epitaxy, nanofabrication, characterization and testing.
  Advances made by IMS in the design, growth and fabrication of III-V based semiconductor lasers in the near- (1.55um) and mid-IR (2.55um) as well as in the THz frequencies (3-4 THz) will be discussed. 
  The room-temperature 1.55 um continuous-wave (CW) operation of single-lateral mode GaInNAsSb ridge waveguide lasers grown on GaAs will be reported. Detailed measurements of the light output power and spectral properties were used to assess the device characteristics as a function of applied current and temperature in both CW and pulsed operation. An exemplary, 3um x 750um, device with a 92% high-reflectivity back facet coating exhibited a record low CW threshold current of 63 mA, with a peak output power of 15mW. 
   Another research program within the Institute has seen the development of antimonide-based III-V materials system for mid-IR lasers.  A peak wavelength of 2.4um has been obtained in a Fabry-Perot (multiple longitudinal mode) laser diodes configuration with near record threshold current density and continuous-wave operating temperatures in excess of 70°C. 
   Finally he will report on a design of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (QCL) based on three-well active modules.  Each module consists of two tunnel-coupled wells for the two lasing states and another well for both resonant-phonon depopulation and carrier injection. This design is the simplest so far among the various published working devices. The test device has a lasing frequency of 3.4 THz and maximum operating temperature of 142K.

About the Speaker

   Sylvain Charbonneau received the Ph.D. degree in semiconductor physics from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada in 1988.  In l988 he joined the Institute for Microstructural Sciences of the National Research Council of Canada.  For a period of 10 years, he became involved in a number of research activities within the institute and led such programs as wavelength routing and switching and more exploratory research efforts like the nano-optics project.  He has published over 180 papers and has sixteen patents granted or pending in the field of optoelectronics.  From 1998 to January 2000, Dr. Charbonneau took on the responsibility of Director of Components Technologies for the Institute for Microstructural Sciences.  His responsibilities included components related research and development programs for the Institute as well as the initial development phase of the newly funded Canadian Photonic Fabrication Center (CPFC).  Following a brief assignment of 14 months as Chief Technology Officer of a NRC start up company, he returned to the Institute for Microstructural Sciences as the lead Director responsible for the management and operation of the CPFC.   He is an Adjunct Professor at three Canadian universities and sits on six national and international Boards of photonics related programs.