Abstract

One of the most important parameters in semiconductor laser models are the rates of optical dephasing and carrier relaxation. Large discrepancies exist between the various numbers quoted in the literature ranging from several picoseconds for the dephasing down to hundreds of femtoseconds. To obtain unambiguous estimates for carrier relaxation and polarization dephasing rates in semiconductor laser media, we investigated carrier-carrier (c-c) scattering which is the dominant relaxation mechanism. Our results are relevant not only for semiconductor lasers and amplifiers but also for passive semiconductors subject to strong optical excitation.¹

© 1992 Optical Society of America