Hot carrier induced picosecond dynamics of a vertical cavity surface emitting laser: Influence of transverse effects

The interplay of carrier heating effects and transverse variations of the c arrier distribution functions has a significant influence on the ultrafast emission dynamics of semiconductor vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. This interplay can lead to dynamic overshooting and oscillations (here at 200 GHz) even for lasing on a single transverse and single longitudinal mod e. A simple equivalent model is a cavity containing the gain medium and a s aturable absorber. The numerical results can directly be compared with rece ntly published experiments. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003- 6951(98)03031-9].