Surface-emitting laser diode array and driving method thereof, photodetector, photodetector array, optical interconnection system, and multiwavelength optical communication system

Abstract

A surface-emitting LD array includes a plurality of surface-emitting LDs respectively including secondary diffraction gratings produced at the same pitch. These LDs are radially arranged on the substrate with a prescribed point on the substrate as the center of the radial arrangement so that the secondary diffraction gratings face to the center point. In this structure, the laser oscillation regions of the adjacent surface-emitting LDs are spaced apart from each other, so that the respective surface-emitting LDs are operated individually with high stability. As the result, when these surface-emitting LDs are oscillated with the same driving current, a high power laser light comprising a plurality of laser lights that are emitted from the respective LDs and have the same phase and the same wavelength is output stably in a prescribed direction. On the other hand, when these surface-emitting LDs are oscillated with different driving currents, a phase composite wave in which a plurality of laser lights having the same phase and different wavelengths are compounded is output stably in a prescribed direction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.