MBI Staff Member – Personal info

Research

High-power semiconductor lasers are the most efficient man-made light sources, and can convert more than 80% electric energy into light. Currently emission powers of one kW continuous-wave powers are extracted from a single monolithic semiconductor chip. We are interested in the intrinsic limitations of such optoelectronic devices in terms of output power, beam quality (brightness) and lifetime (reliability). For this purpose, we analyze devices, but also their components such as surfaces and interfaces or gain materials such as quantum wells, superlattices and quantum dots.
For our experiments, we use optical tools, in particular transient spectroscopy that represents a generic competence of MBI. Such work is naturally carried out as collaborative work with device vendors, who provide us with high-quality industry-grade devices and structures. The use of such devices ensures high reproducibility and the chance to get general results, which not depend on the particular device structure that was studied. In BMBF-projects such as BlauLas, we work together with Osram OS (Regensburg), Dilas GmbH (Maiz) and Laserline GmbH (Mülheim) or in the frame of bilateral research contracts with Lumentum (Santa Clara) and 3S-Photonics (Nozay).
The material basis of the investigated devices is now focused to GaN-based wide-bandgap devices emitting in the ultraviolet to blue spectral regions. The figure shows damage patterns as observed in 450-nm emitting high power diode lasers after it experienced the so-called catastrophic optical damage in short-pulse operation.

Subfigure (a) shows the damage patterns at the font facet, where the light leaves the device (red circle), while (b) shows the same region from the side. A channel is visible which burned into the device and ends ~80 µm underneath the front facet; see (c). Subfigure (d) shows the end of this channel in higher resolution. The quantum wells, i.e. the gain medium are well resolved.

 

Curriculum vitae

2018  East China Normal University as ECNU High-End Expert, China

1999  Visitor at the RIKEN-Institute Sendai, Japan

1995 - present: Senior researcher at MBI

1993-1995: Visiting professor at Georgia Tech Atlanta, USA

1986-1989: R&D group leader in a subcontract "Optical characterization of II-VI materials for IR quantum detector fabrication".

1984-1986: R&D work in a subcontract to "Carl Zeiss Jena" company to develop diode lasers for an IR diode laser spectrometer.

1981-1984: PhD student, Dr. rer. nat. in Physics, summa cum laude, Humboldt University, Berlin 1984 Dissertation: Study of the optical properties of n-Pb1-xSnxTe/p-Pb1-xSnxTe/p-PbTe-heterostructures by means of photoluminescence and injection-luminescence.

1977-1982: Physics studies, Diploma in Physics summa cum laude, Humboldt University, Berlin 1982 Thesis: Luminescence properties of lead salts for optical and electrical excitation.

MBI Publications

  1. Spectroscopic method of strain analysis in semiconductor quantum-well devices

    M.L. Biermann, St. Duran, K. Peterson, A. Gerhardt, J.W. Tomm, W. Trzeciakowski, A. Bercha

    Journal of Applied Physics 96 (2004) 4056-4065
  2. Materials and structural design of a mid-infrared light-emitting device

    F. Weik, J.W. Tomm, R. Glatthaar, U. Vetter, D. Szewczyk, J. Nurnus, A. Lambrecht, M. Grau, R. Meyer, M.C. Amann, B. Spellenberg, M. Bassler

    SPIE Proceedings 5366 (2004) 149-157
  3. Analysis of heat flows and their impact on the reliability of high-power diode lasers

    J.W. Tomm, F. Rinner, E. Thamm, C. Ribbat, R. Sellin, D. Bimberg

    SPIE Proceedings 4993 (2003) 91-99
  4. Spatially-resolved spectroscopic strain measurements on high-power laser diode bars

    J.W. Tomm, A. Gerhardt, R. Müller, V. Malyarchuk, Y. Sainte-Marie, P. Galtier, J. Nagle, J.-P. Landesman

    Journal of Applied Physics 93 (2003) 1354-1362
  5. Quantitative strain analysis in AlGaAs-based devices

    J. W. Tomm, A. Gerhardt, R. Müller, M.L. Biermann, J.P. Holland, D. Lorenzen, E. Kaulfersch

    Applied Physics Letters 82 (2003) 4193-4195
  6. Transient luminescence of dense InAs/GaAs quantum dot arrays

    J.W. Tomm, T. Elsaesser, Yu I. Mazur, H. Kissel, G.G. Tarasov, Z.Ya. Zhuchenko, W.T. Masselink

    Physical Review B 67 (2003) 045326/1-8
  7. Facet temperature reduction by a current blocking layer at the front facets of high-power InGaAs/AlGaAs lasers

    F. Rinner, J. Rogg, M.T. Kelemen, M. Mikulla, G. Weimann, J.W. Tomm, E. Thamm, R. Poprawe

    Journal of Applied Physics 93 (2003) 1848-1850
  8. Optimized annealing conditions identified by analysis of radiative recombination in dilute Ga(As,N)

    G. Mussler, L. Däweritz, K.H. Ploog, J.W. Tomm, V. Talalaev

    Applied Physics Letters 83 (2003) 1343-1345
  9. InP quantum dots embedded in GaP: Optical properties and carrier dynamics

    F. Hatami, W.T. Masselink, L. Schrottke, J.W. Tomm, V. Talalaev, C. Kristukat, A.R. Goni

    Physical Review B 67 (2003) 085306/1-8
  10. The impact of defects to minority-carrier dynamics in heavily doped GaAs:C analyzed by transient photoluminescence spectroscopy

    J.W. Tomm, A. Maaßdorf, Y.I. Mazur, S. Gramlich, E. Richter, F. Brunner, M. Weyers, G. Tränkle, V. Malyarchuk, T. Günther, Ch. Lienau

    Materials Science and Engineering B 91-92 (2002) 25-28

Other Publications

Books

Juan Jiménez and Jens W. Tomm, "Spectroscopic Analysis of Optoelectronic Semiconductors", Springer Series in Optical Sciences Vol. 202 (Springer, 2016).

Jens W. Tomm and Juan Jiménez, "Quantum-Well Laser Array Packaging", Nanoscience and Technology Series (McGraw-Hill, 2007).