Photodigm Inc.

The University of Texas System

Preston P Young

Annie Xiang

Robert Magnusson

John E Spencer

Martin Achtenhagen

Dongho Shin

Laser with extended mode-hop free spectral tuning ranges and methods for manufacturing such lasers are disclosed. In an embodiment the method includes providing a light emitting device, the light emitting device comprising a gain region and a first wavelength selection region and mounting the light emitting device on a thermally conductive carrier such that the gain region is mounted on a first carrier surface and the first wavelength selection region is arranged over and spaced apart from a second carrier surface.

Light emitting device with extended mode-hop-free spectral tuning ranges and method of manufacture

Laser with extended mode-hop free spectral tuning ranges and methods of manufacture such lasers are disclosed. In one embodiment an electrical device includes a carrier and a light emitting device including an active region and a first passive region disposed on a first side of the active region, wherein the active region of the light emitting device is disposed on the carrier while the first passive region is thermally floating.

A display system includes an optical light source and a display panel with an array of optically excitable pixels. Optics are positioned between the optical light source and the display panel so as to direct light from the optical light source toward the display panel to cause the optically excitable pixels to emit a visible image.

Rear projection display using laser excited photoluminescence

A new class of vertical-cavity lasers (VCLs) is disclosed. Conventional VCLs contain an active region enclosed by Bragg-mirror stacks of 30-100 quarter-wave layers. The new VCLs can be fabricated without Bragg mirrors by replacing them with efficient diffractive (guided-mode resonance (GMR)) mirrors with much fewer layers, for example, two or three layers. This application provides optical power flow across and along the VCL gain region, thereby greatly increasing the laser efficiency and reducing the threshold mirror reflectance needed for lasing, relative to conventional VCLs. Theoretical and experimental results show that GMR mirrors exhibit high reflectance (theoretically, 100%; experimentally, in excess of 90%) in a narrow spectral band with well-defined polarization states. When incorporated in VCLs, the GMR mirrors yield single-mode, narrow-line, highly-polarized output light. The GMR-VCL is independent of any particular material system. An example fabrication process of GaAs-based VCLs includes molecular-beam epitaxial growth of the basic planar structure and multiple-quantum-well (InGaAs/GaAs for 980 nm wavelength) active layers, interferometric recording of the GMR grating, lithographic and reactive-ion-etch definition of individual VCL elements, and metallization and contacting. GMR-VCL arrays can also be fabricated; the diffractive element will phase-lock the individual lasers to produce exceptionally high optical power and coherence. GMR-VCL technology holds high potential to provide low-cost, high-speed sources for fiber optic communications and other applications.

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Arlington, TX, United States of America

Preston P Young