June 2013 Vol. 27, No. 3 www.PhotonicsSociety.org From Ugly Duckling to Radiant Swan: Half a Century After the Discovery of the Semiconductor Laser by Dieter Bimberg A Superconducting Photon-Number-Resolving Detector by Saeedeh Jahanmirinejad and Andrea Fiore The Cr4+:YAG Laser at 25 Years: A Review of the Promise, Progress, and Limitations of this Broad Gain Bandwidth 1.5 nm Laser Medium by John Alcock 30 μm Also Inside: • Previews of Summer Topicals and Group Four Photonics June 2013 Vol. 27, No. 3 www.PhotonicsSociety.org From Ugly Duckling to Radiant Swan: Half a Century After the Discovery of the Semiconductor Laser by Dieter Bimberg A Superconducting Photon-Number-Resolving Detector by Saeedeh Jahanmirinejad and Andrea Fiore The Cr4+:YAG Laser at 25 Years: A Review of the Promise, Progress, and Limitations of this Broad Gain Bandwidth 1.5 nm Laser Medium by John Alcock 30 μm Also Inside: • Previews of Summer Topicals and Group Four Photonics June 2013 Volume 27, Number 3 FEATURES Research Highlights: . .4 – From Ugly Duckling to Radiant Swan: Half a Century After the Discovery of the Semiconductor Laser by Dr. Dieter Bimberg, FIEEE, FAPS, ML, MRAS – A Superconducting Photon-Number-Resolving Detector by Saeedeh Jahanmirinejad and Andrea Fiore. .10 –The Cr4+:YAG Laser at 25 Years: A Review of the Promise, Progress, and Limitations of this Broad Gain Bandwidth 1.5 nm Laser Medium by John Alcock. .14 8 News . .18 • Recognition at OFC 1 μm Light Out • Call for Nominations: 2014 John Tyndall Award n Contact • Call for Nominations: 2014 IEEE Photonics Society Young Ag InGaP Investigator Award SiNx • IEEE Medal 2014 call for nominations 17.5-pairs DBR MQWs Careers and Awards . .24 p-AlGaAs • IEEE Photonics Society Awards Deadline Silver p-GaAs Encapsulation • IEEE Photonics Society Newsletter-Former Editor David Plant Awarded Silicon 2013 Killam Fellowship • IEEE Technical Field Awards • IEEE Photonics and David Sarnoff Awards 10 IB Membership . .27 NbN IB < IC 4–5 nm Rn • Join IPS as an Affiliate GaAs Superconducting State 100 nm T = 1–4 K R = 0 Lk • What is your Chapter’s Story? (Not to Scale) (a) • Membership Development Kit hv • First Year New Member Experience R n Normal • IEEE e-Membership State L R = Rn k • Benefits of IEEE Senior Membership Ω max (Rn) ~1 k (b) Conferences. .34 • IPS Conference Calendar • Preview of the 2013 Summer Topicals 18 • 2013 Summer Topicals • Preview of The 2013 Group IV Photonics • Group IV Photonics 2013 • Avionics, Fiber-Optics & Photonics Conference 2013 • IEEE Photonics Conference 2013 • Forthcoming meetings with ICO participation • 2013 IPS Co-Sponsored Calendar Publications . .46 • Call for Papers: – JLT: Optical Interconnects – JSTQE: Nanobiophotonics – JSTQE: Silicon Photonics – JSTQE: Fiber Lasers COLUMNS Editor’s Column . 2 President’s Column . 3 June 2013 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 1 Editor’s IEEE Photonics Society Column HON TSANG President Associate Editor of Asia & Pacific Hideo Kuwahara Christina Lim Laser diodes have now become ubiquitous and often em- Fujitsu Laboratories Department of Electrical & 4-1-1, Kamikodanaka, Nakahara Electronic Engineering ployed by people who use them without realizing it. Kawasaki, 211-8588, Japan The University of Melbourne Members of IEEE Photonics society would know that la- Tel: +81 44 754 2068 VIC 3010 Australia ser diodes have found many applications in everyday life Fax: +81 44 754 2580 Tel: +61-3-8344-4486 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] including, in computers (VCSELS in optical mouse is an Past President Associate Editor of Canada obvious example), barcode scanners in the supermarket, James Coleman Lawrence R. Chen optical video and data disks, photocopying machines, laser Dept of E & C Engineering Department of Electrical & University of Illinois Computer Engineering printers etc. However when I asked a co-worker (a non- 208 N. Wright Street McConnell Engineering Building, Urbana, IL 81801-2355 engineering university graduate) to give me some everyday Rm 633 Tel: +217 333 2555 McGill University Email: [email protected] examples of where laser diodes are used, after a few mo- 3480 University St. ments thought the rely came that only a couple of examples Secretary-Treasurer Montreal, Quebec came to her mind: laser diode pointers used in lectures and Dalma Novak Canada H3A-2A7 Pharad, LLC Tel: +514 398 1879 laser diodes employed in optical communications for the 797 Cromwell Park Drive Fax: 514 398 3127 internet. In this issue Prof Dr Dieter Bimberg tells the sto- Suite V Email: [email protected] Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Associate Editor of Europe/ ry of the early development of the laser diode. The success Tel: +410 590 3333 Mid East/Africa Email: [email protected] of the laser diode, in retrospect, is as amazing as the fairy Kevin A. Williams tale story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen of the Board of Governors Eindhoven University of Technology transition of the ugly duckling to a radiant swan. J. S. Aitchison P. Andrekson Inter-University Research Institute S. Bigo M. Dawson COBRA on Communication In contrast to the enormous success of laser diodes, P. Juodawlkis A. Kirk Technology Dr John Alcock marks the 25th anniversary of the chro- F. Koyama J. McInerney Department of Electrical M. Nakazawa D. Novak Engineering 4+ mium doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Cr :YAG) laser P. Smowton M. Wu PO Box 513 in his article that explains why, despite the early prom- 5600 MB Eindhoven, Vice Presidents The Netherlands 4+ ise of Cr :YAG crystals in offering broadband gain that Conferences - D. Plant Email: [email protected] enabled successful demonstrations of mode locked lasers Finance & Administration – C. Jagadish Membership & Regional Staff Editor generating 20 femtosecond pulses, there has only been Activities – J. Kash Lisa Manteria limited commercial success for Cr4+:YAG lasers, particu- Publications – B. Tkach IEEE Photonics Society Technical Affairs – K. Choquette 445 Hoes Lane larly when compared with competing laser technologies. Piscataway, NJ 08854 Cr4+:YAG lasers have not lived up to their early promise Newsletter Staff Tel: 1 732 465 6662 Executive Editor Fax: 1 732 981 1138 as a longer wavelength alternative to the Ti:sapphire laser. Hon K. Tsang Email: [email protected] Also in this issue we have a research highlights article Department of Electronic Engineering The Chinese University of Hong Kong that reviews the recent advances on superconductors for Shatin, Hong Kong photon counting. Single photon counting is needed in Tel: +852 - 39438254 Fax: +852 - 26035558 many important scientific and practical applications. Ex- Email: [email protected] amples that come to my mind include the use of photon counters LIDAR, fluorescence spectroscopy, quantum information processing, quantum encryption and in the detection of energetic particles in astronomy, particle IEEE prohibits discrimination, harassment, and bullying. For more information, visit http://www. physics and medical imaging. The technology for photon ieee.org/web/aboutus/whatis/policies/p9-26.html. counting has advanced beyond the performance of tradi- tional photon counting instruments based on photomul- IEEE Photonics Society News (USPS 014-023) is published bimonth- tiplier tubes, The advent of nanowire superconductors ly by the Photonics Society of the Institute of Electrical and operating at liquid helium temperatures enables photon Electronics Engineers, Inc., Corporate Office: 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10017-2394. Printed in the USA. One dollar per counters with low dark count, fast response, and high de- member per year is included in the Society fee for each member tection efficiency: together these advantages make super- of the Photonics Society. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address conductor based photon counters an attractive high-per- changes to Photonics Society Newsletter, IEEE, 445 Hoes Lane, formance technology for photon counting applications. Piscataway, NJ 08854. I hope you enjoy this month’s articles. I always like Copyright © 2013 by IEEE: Permission to copy without fee all or part of any material without a copyright notice is granted pro- hearing from readers and you can post comments on vided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct com- http://www.facebook.com/PhotonicsSociety or send your mercial advantage, and the title of the publication and its date appear on each copy. To copy material with a copyright notice comments by email to us. requires specific permission. Please direct all inquiries or requests to IEEE Copyrights Office. Hon Tsang 2 IEEE PHOTONICS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER June 2013 President’s Column HIDEO KUWAHARA Photonics Technology: Broad University, and Brian Protiva of ADVA Optical Networking. and Rapidly Advancing The size of the exhibition has grown again for the third year in a In April I attended a big exhibition on photonics/optics tech- row along with participants in Market Watch presentations and nology held in Tokyo. It covered many different areas of tech- the Service Provider Summit on the exhibit floor. In the plenary nology, including optical communication, laser processing and session, a memorial tribute was presented in honor of the late manufacturing, displays with ultra-high definition and that Dr. Tingye Li, who was renowned for his contributions to light- are bendable, illumination with high efficiency and control- wave technology and optical fiber communications. lability, optical sensors with multiple and distributed sensing At the opening plenary session of OFC/NFOEC, we had a points, and laser micro/nano engineering. It was amazing to recognition ceremony for new Fellows, and this time eight new me how broad the field has become and how advanced many Fellows associated with IPS were recognized. The John Tyn- of these technologies have become. For example, the laser pro- dall Award was presented to Jim Coleman, IPS Past-President.