Circular beam telecommunications wavelength edge-emitting semiconductor laser
AssigneeUniversity of Notre Dame du Lac
InventorsDouglas C. Hall, Jideofor Ambrose Henry Odoeze
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Abstract
The disclosed high-index-contrast single spatial mode edge-emitter semiconductor diode laser includes a substrate a ridge structure on the substrate that has an optical guiding region containing a quantum well active region sandwiched between cladding layers. An oxide may surround the ridge structure. A thickness of the optical guiding region may be less than a thickness of the cladding layers such that an empty space around the optical guiding region is maintained. Various other methods, systems, and devices are also disclosed.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- etching through an active region of a semiconductor heterostructure to form a ridge structure having a ridge width;
- laterally etching the active region such that an active region width is less than the ridge width;
- depositing an oxide along the ridge structure;
- and
- depositing a metal layer.
A device comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a ridge structure on the substrate comprising:
- a lower cladding layer on the substrate having a first width;
- a quantum well over the lower cladding layer and having a second width less than the first width;
- and
- an upper cladding layer over the quantum well and having the first width.
An edge-emitter laser diode comprising:
- a first cladding layer and a second cladding layer;
- an optical guiding region structure sandwiched between the first and second cladding layers, and comprising a multi-quantum well sandwiched between graded-index separate-confinement-heterostructure (GRINSCH) layers, wherein a width of the optical guiding region structure is less than a width of the first and second cladding layers such that a gap surrounds the optical guiding region structure;
- and
- an oxide along the first and second cladding layers and outside of the gap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.