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US 5,461,637 AGranted
High brightness, vertical cavity semiconductor lasers
AssigneeMicracor, Inc.
InventorsAram Mooradian, Mark E. Kuznetsov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for producing laser radiation from a vertical cavity semiconductor laser are disclosed. A preferred embodiment includes a quantum-well region formed over a semiconductor substrate. A first reflective surface is formed over the quantum-well region, and a second reflective surface is formed over the substrate, opposite the first reflective surface, forming a laser cavity. The quantum-well region is optically pumped, producing laser oscillation. The absorbed pump power causes a thermal lensing effect within the semiconductor material, stabilizing the transverse spatial mode of the laser cavity. The invention has applications in optical communication and laser printing.
Claims38
A semiconductor laser system comprising:
- a) a body of material having first and second opposed faces, said body having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- b) a semiconductor quantum-well structure on said first face of said body, said quantum-well structure having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- c) a first mirror on said quantum-well structure;
- d) a second mirror on said second face of said body, said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L;
- and
- e) an energy source for pumping said quantum-well structure with energy for producing laser gain in said quantum-well structure, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. to propagate within said cavity, said energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structure thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structure by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said laser beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode.
3 more elements
A semiconductor laser system comprising:
- a) a first body of material;
- b) a first mirror on said first body;
- c) a semiconductor quantum-well structure on said first mirror, said quantum-well structure having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- d) an optical pump for pumping said quantum-well structure with light energy for producing laser gain;
- e) a second body of material on said quantum-well structure having a temperature variant index of refraction, said second body being transparent to light at said optical pump wavelength, and transparent to light at said laser gain wavelength;
- and
- f) a second mirror on said second body;
- said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. to propagate within said cavity, said pump energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structure thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structure by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said lens beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode.
5 more elements
A method of producing laser light from a semiconductor laser comprising the steps of:
- a) forming a first barrier layer over a first face of a body of material having opposing first and second faces, said body having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- b) forming a quantum-well structure over said first barrier layer, said quantum-well structure having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- c) forming a second barrier layer over said quantum-well layer;
- d) forming a first mirror over said second barrier layer;
- f) forming a second mirror over said second face of said body, said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L;
- and
- g) pumping said quantum-well structure with a beam of pump energy for producing laser gain in said quantum-well structure, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. to propagate within said cavity, said energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structure thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structure by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said laser beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode.
4 more elements
A method of producing laser light from a semiconductor laser system comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a semiconductor quantum-well structure on a first face of a body of material having opposed first and second faces, said body and said quantum-well structure each having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- b) providing a first mirror on said quantum-well structure;
- c) providing a second mirror on said second face of said body, said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L;
- and
- d) pumping said quantum-well structure with pump energy for producing laser gain in said quantum-well structure, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. propagate within said cavity, said energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structure thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structure by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said laser beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode.
2 more elements
A method of producing laser light from a semiconductor laser system comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a first mirror on a first body of material;
- b) providing a semiconductor quantum-well structure on said first mirror, said quantum-well structure having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- c) providing a second body of material having a temperature variant index of refraction on said quantum-well structure;
- d) providing a second mirror on said second body, said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L;
- e) pumping said quantum-well structure with a pump energy for producing laser gain in said quantum-well structure, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. to propagate within said cavity, said energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structure thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structure by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said laser beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode.
2 more elements
A semiconductor laser system comprising:
- a) a body of material having first and second opposed faces, said body having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- b) semiconductor quantum-well structures on said first face of said body, said quantum-well structures having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- c) a first mirror on said quantum-well structures;
- d) a second mirror on said second face of said body, said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L;
- e) an energy source for pumping said quantum-well structures with energy for producing laser gain in said quantum-well structures, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. to propagate within said cavity, said energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structures thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structures by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said laser beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode;
- f) said quantum-well structures being spaced near antinodes of different longitudinal modes of said cavity.
3 more elements
A semiconductor laser system comprising:
- a) a body of material having first and second opposed faces, said body having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- b) a semiconductor quantum-well structure on said first face of said body, said quantum-well structure having a temperature variant index of refraction;
- c) a first mirror on said quantum-well structure;
- d) a second mirror on said second face of said body, said first and second mirrors defining a resonant cavity therebetween of length L;
- e) an energy source for pumping said quantum-well structure with energy for producing laser gain in said quantum-well structure, said laser gain causing a laser beam of wavelength .lambda. to propagate within said cavity, said energy being absorbed by said quantum-well structure thereby raising the temperature of a region proximal to said quantum-well structure by an amount .DELTA.T, said region being of diameter D.sub.th and thickness h.sub.th, forming a thermal lens within said resonant cavity having an effective radius of curvature R which is a function of said diameter D.sub.th, said thickness h.sub.th, and said rise in temperature .DELTA.T of said region, said thermal lens concentrating said laser beam substantially within a diameter D, said diameter D being a function of said thermal lens radius of curvature R, said length of said cavity L, and said wavelength .lambda. of said laser beam, said cavity being of sufficient length L such that said thermal lens causes said laser beam to propogate with a stable transverse mode;
- and
- f) a Q-switch for pulsing said laser beam.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.