Integrated semiconductor laser and waveguide device

A method of forming a semiconductor device, said device comprising a semiconductor substrate over which a plurality of semiconductor layers including an active layer are deposited to form a plurality of integrated optical components, said components including a buried heterojunction laser component and a waveguide component, the waveguide component being arranged to be optically coupled via said active layer with laser radiation generated by the laser, forming the laser and waveguide component from said semiconductor layers by the steps comprising:

• i) forming at least one active layer;
• ii) forming a laser current conduction region and a waveguide current conduction region;
• iii) forming adjacent the active layer a first current blocking structure that extends adjacent both the laser component and the waveguide component;
• iv) removing from the waveguide component the first current blocking structure except in a band adjacent the waveguide current conduction region;
• and
• v) forming in the waveguide component a second current blocking structure so that said band of the first current blocking structure is interposed between the second current blocking structure and the waveguide current conduction region.

A semiconductor device, comprising a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of semiconductor layers on said substrate that comprise a plurality of integrated optical components, said components including a buried heterojunction laser component and a waveguide component having an optically guiding structure;

• the laser component and the waveguide component including at least one active layer, the waveguide component being arranged to be optically coupled via said active layer with laser radiation generated by the laser component;
• the laser component including a laser current conduction region and adjacent said laser current conduction region a laser current confinement region;
• the waveguide component including a waveguide current conduction region and adjacent said waveguide current conduction region a waveguide current confinement region;
• the laser current confinement region comprising a first semiconductor layer current blocking structure;
• and
• the waveguide current confinement region comprising a second semiconductor layer current blocking structure and including an extension of the first current blocking structure, said extension being interposed between the second current blocking structure and the waveguide current conduction region.