Optical waveguide having a variable refractive index and an optical

Abstract

A semiconductor optical waveguide comprises a substrate of a semiconductor material doped to a first conductivity type, a multiple quantum well layer provided on the substrate for guiding an optical beam, a clad layer doped to a second conductivity type and provided on the multiple quantum well layer for confining the optical beam, a first electrode provided on the upper major surface of the clad layer for injecting carriers of a first type into the quantum well layer, and a second electrode provided on the lower major surface of the substrate for injecting carriers of a second type into the quantum well layer, wherein multiple quantum well layer comprises an alternate stacking of: a quantum well layer having a composition set to provide a smallest band gap that is possible under a constraint that the quantum well layer maintains a lattice constant with the substrate and a thickness set with respect to the optical energy of the optical beam such that a discrete quantum level of carriers is formed in the quantum well layer at an energy level larger than the optical energy by about 50 meV; and a barrier layer having a band gap substantially larger than the band gap of the quantum well layer.