Polarization of λ=1.55 µm InGaAsP Ridge-Waveguide Lasers

Abstract
The influence of waveguide parameters on the polarization of the lasing mode is investigated for λ=1.55 µm InGaAsP-InP ridge-waveguide lasers. It is found experimentally that for weak index guiding the lasers are polarized TM, whereas for gain guided or strongly index guided devices the polarization is TE. This behaviour is in excellent agreement with calculations based on a recently developed ridge-waveguide laser model. It is demonstrated that stable TE or TM polarization can arbitrarily be established by means of an appropriate choice of the laser parameters.