Polarization dynamics of an optically injected spin-VECSEL

We present an experimental study of an optically spin-injected spin-VECSEL, based on a ½-VCSEL structure in a VECSEL architecture. The coupling constant of the structure has been found to be very close to 1 for circular polarizations, which is optimal for spin-laser applications by minimizing the spin unbalance required for polarization switching. In our experiment, the active medium is pumped by a dual-pump architecture. The first one allows the threshold to be reached, while the second one allows fast electronic spin injection. Moreover, an electro-optic plate which compensate the residual linear birefringence, is placed in the VECSEL cavity in order favor polarization switching. In this way, the polarization dynamic behavior of the spin-VECSEL is studied under different spin injection frequency modulations.