CARRIER HEATING DYNAMICS IN SEMICONDUCTOR WAVE-GUIDE SATURABLE ABSORBERS

Pump-probe measurements in GaAs/GaA1As waveguide saturable absorbers r eveal an ultrafast transient in the absorption recovery dynamics, and a second slower signal before the final recovery. We present a model o f the differential transmission measurements which includes high field and space charge effects in addition to the spectral hole burning and carrier heating typically found in semiconductor amplifiers. The resu lts of the model indicate that field-induced carrier heating strongly influences the absorption dynamics in saturable absorbers used for mod e-locked diode lasers. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.