Polarization-dependent and polarization-diversified opto-electronic devices using a strained quantum well

A polarization-diversified detector, comprising:

• a waveguide formed in the surface of a substrate for carrying light having a characteristic energy;
• a first opto-electronic device formed adjacent to a first portion of said waveguide and including an active strained quantum-well layer interacting with said light and having a first transition energy for light of a first polarization and having a second transition energy for light of a second orthogonal polarization, said characteristic energy falling between said first and second transition energies;
• a second opto-electronic device formed adjacent to a second portion of said waveguide and including an active layer having different strain characteristics than said strained quantum-well layer of said first opto-electronic device;
• and
• biasing means to bias said first and second opto-electronic devices as first and second detectors, and
• wherein said waveguide receives said light on a first side of said first detector and said second detector is disposed on said waveguide on a second side of said first detector.

An optical pickup, comprising:

• a substrate;
• a semiconductor laser formed in said substrate and emitting light from a periphery of said substrate;
• an optical waveguide formed in said substrate and extending from said periphery to a central portion of said substrate;
• a first optical detector formed adjacent to a first linear portion of said waveguide;
• a second optical detector formed adjacent to a second linear portion of said waveguide, wherein said first and second optical detectors have differing sensitivities to at least one polarization state of light propagating in said waveguide;
• and
• electrical processing means for comparing outputs of said first and second optical detectors to thereby determine a polarization rotation of said light emitted by said laser.