Sandia Corporation

At&t Bell Laboratories

Lucent Technologies Inc.

The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

University of Illinois

Vixar, Inc.

Kent D Choquette

Minghwei Hong

Weng W Chow

Robert S Freund

Arthur J Fischer

Kevin L Lear

Klein L Johnson

Noriyuki Yokouchi

Mary K Brenner

Richard P Schneider, Jr

Paul L Gourley

John F Klem

Hong Q Hou

Daryoosh Vakhshoori

Joseph Petrus Mannaerts

G Ronald Hadley

Adelbert Awyoung

Michael E Coltrin

Chen Chen

A laser system having separately electrically operable cavities for emitting modulated narrow linewidth light with first, second and third mirror structures separated by a first active region between the first and the second and by a second active region between the second and the third. The second mirror structure has twenty of more periods of mirror pairs.

Direct modulated modified vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and method

The invention is directed to a photonic crystal defect structure for a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). In accordance with the invention, a set of holes is formed in a pattern with one or more missing holes forming a defect in the pattern of the photonic crystal, according to a proscribed depth, hole diameter, and pattern pitch which will insure operation in a single transverse mode.

Photonic crystal single transverse mode defect structure for vertical cavity surface emitting laser

Selectively oxidized vertical cavity lasers emitting near 1300 nm using InGaAsN quantum wells are reported for the first time which operate continuous wave below, at and above room temperature. The lasers employ two n-type AlGaAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflectors each with a selectively oxidized current aperture adjacent to the active region, and the top output mirror contains a tunnel junction to inject holes into the active region. Continuous wave single mode lasing is observed up to 55&#xb0; C.

Long wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser

A new class of bistable coupled-resonator vertical-cavity semiconductor laser devices has been developed. These bistable laser devices can be switched, either electrically or optically, between lasing and non-lasing states. A switching signal with a power of a fraction of a milliwatt can change the laser output of such a device by a factor of a hundred, thereby enabling a range of optical switching and data encoding applications.

Bistable laser device with multiple coupled active vertical-cavity resonators

A new class of multi-terminal vertical-cavity semiconductor laser components has been developed. These multi-terminal laser components can be switched, either electrically or optically, between distinct lasing wavelengths, or can be made to lase simultaneously at multiple wavelengths.

Semiconductor laser with multiple lasing wavelengths

A new class of coupled-resonator vertical-cavity semiconductor lasers has been developed. These lasers have multiple resonant cavities containing regions of active laser media, resulting in a multi-terminal laser component with a wide range of novel properties.

Coupled-resonator vertical-cavity lasers with two active gain regions

A process for forming an array of vertical cavity optical resonant structures wherein the structures in the array have different detection or emission wavelengths. The process uses selective area growth (SAG) in conjunction with annular masks of differing dimensions to control the thickness and chemical composition of the materials in the optical cavities in conjunction with a metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) process to build these arrays.

Method of varying a characteristic of an optical vertical cavity structure formed by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser device. The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) device comprises one or more VCSELs with each VCSEL having a mode-control region thereabout, with the mode-control region forming an optical cavity with an effective cavity length different from the effective cavity length within each VCSEL. Embodiments of the present invention can be formed as single VCSELs and as one- or two-dimensional arrays of VCSELs, with either an index-guided mode of operation or an index anti-guided mode of operation being defined by a sign of the difference in the two effective cavity lengths.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser device

A temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and method for fabrication thereof. The temperature-insensitive VCSEL comprises a quantum-well active region within a resonant cavity, the active region having a gain spectrum with a high-order subband (n.gtoreq.2) contribution thereto for broadening and flattening the gain spectrum, thereby substantially reducing any variation in operating characteristics of the VCSEL over a temperature range of interest. The method for forming the temperature-insensitive VCSEL comprises the steps of providing a substrate and forming a plurality of layers thereon for providing first and second distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirror stacks with an active region sandwiched therebetween, the active region including at least one quantum-well layer providing a gain spectrum having a high-order subband (n.gtoreq.2) gain contribution, and the DBR mirror stacks having predetermined layer compositions and thicknesses for providing a cavity resonance within a predetermined wavelength range substantially overlapping the gain spectrum.

Temperature-insensitive vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and

This invention involves a vertical cavity surface emitting laser ('VCSEL') having a Group III-V semiconductor epitaxial mesa structure with an electrically insulating sidewall located on the mesa's sidewalls for confinement of the optical radiation generated in the laser. A suitably doped Group III-V epitaxial layer or a layer of insulating material such as silicon dioxide acts as the insulating sidewall layer. Advantageously, the structure has a self-aligned ohmic contact layer located everywhere on the top surface of the epitaxial mesa structure.

Vertical cavity semiconductor laser

A semiconductor light-emitting device and method. The semiconductor light-emitting device is provided with at least one control layer or control region which includes an annular oxidized portion thereof to channel an injection current into the active region, and to provide a lateral refractive index profile for index guiding the light generated within the device. A periodic composition grading of at least one of the mirror stacks in the device provides a reduced operating voltage of the device. The semiconductor light-emitting device has a high efficiency for light generation, and may be formed either as a resonant-cavity light-emitting diode (RCLED) or as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

Efficient semiconductor light-emitting device and method

The present applicants have discovered that one can make a surface emitting laser with enhanced optical confinement and improved heat sinking characteristics by etching away portions of the growth layers peripheral to the intended laser cavity and regrowing peripheral regions of material having a lower index of refraction than the active region. Using low damage etching and either in situ regrowth or hydrogen plasma cleaning followed by regrowth, a surface emitting laser having enhanced optical isolation and heat sinking characteristics can be made.

Semiconductor surface emitting laser having enhanced optical confinement

Applicant has demonstrated that by appropriately shaping the laser gain region one can control the polarization direction of semiconductor vertical cavity lasers and enhance their transverse mode selectivity. Specifically, configuring the transverse cross section to regions have a length-to-width ratio in excess of 1.2 favors emission with polarization in the long dimension at the fundamental mode. A cruciform structure favors emission with switchable orthogonal polarization. The transverse shape can be configured by dry etching a particular cavity shape in index guided lasers or by forming a shaped ion implantation region around gain guided lasers.

Semiconductor surface emitting laser having enhanced polarization

The present applicant has discovered that one can make a surface emitting laser with enhanced operating characteristics by etching away the outer reflector stack peripheral to the intended active area and protecting the reflector stack mesa remaining over the active area by in situ metalization in high vacuum. The active area can be isolated, as by ion implantation, providing an electrical path through the active region free of the outer reflector stack. The result is a surface emitting laser having reduced series resistance. The device lases at lower voltage and provides an enhanced intensity of optical output as compared with conventional planar devices.

Method of making semiconductor surface emitting laser

In accordance with the invention, a contaminated III-V semiconductor surface is cleaned by the sequential steps of exposure to hydrogen plasma, chemical etching in chlorine and annealing in vacuum. In a preferred embodiment, a semiconductor of the gallium arsenide family is subjected to hydrogen plasma in an ECR system for 20-120 minutes, then, without breaking vacuum, subjected to a Cl.sub.2 chemical etch at 250.degree. C.-450.degree. C. for 1-5 minutes. Again, without breaking vacuum, the semiconductor is annealed at 200.degree. C.-600.degree. C. for 5-15 minutes. To obtain good surface reconstruction, annealing preferably takes place at a temperature 300.degree. C. or above. The semiconductor surface thus processed is atomically smooth and sufficiently clean to permit regrowth of a high quality epitaxial layer.

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Kent D Choquette