We formulate an analytical model for vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with injection (pump) of spin-polarized electrons. Our results for two different modes of carrier recombination allow for a systematic analysis of the operational regimes of the spin-VCSELs. We demonstrate that threshold reduction by electrically-pumped spin-polarized carriers can be larger than previously assumed possible. Near the threshold, such VCSELs can act as effective non-linear filters of circularly-polarized light, owing to their spin-dependent gain.

We explore similarities between the quantum wells and quantum dots used as optical gain media in semiconductor lasers. We formulate a mapping procedure which allows a simpler, often analytical, description of quantum well lasers to study more complex lasers based on quantum dots. The key observation in relating the two classes of laser is that the influence of a finite capture time on the operation of quantum dot lasers can be approximated well by a suitable choice of the gain compression factor in quantum well lasers. Our findings are applied to the rate equations for both conventional (spin-unpolarized) and spin lasers in which spin-polarized carriers are injected optically or electrically. We distinguish two types of mapping that pertain to the steady-state and dynamical operation respectively and elucidate their limitations.

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