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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Phased array semiconductor laser with preferred emission in the fundamental supermode

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5732642
This patent describes a phased array semiconductor laser comprising a series of lasing elements formed in semiconductor layers including an active region formed between a pair of cladding layers for providing light wave generation and propagation under lasing conditions. The elements each comprise an optical guide region for optical field containment of the propagating light and the optical field of each of the lasing elements are coupled to provide a phase locked condition across the array. The improvement comprises a disorderable structural means formed in at least one of the cladding layers, regions of the disorderable cladding layer adjacent to the optical guide regions subjected to impurity induced disordering to form the optical guide regions and to produce therein higher gain compared to the gain experienced in the optical guide regions to spatially modulate the current distribution across the array so that the integral of the gain of the optical field present in the active region of the laser is higher in the adjacent disordered regions compared to the optical guide regions.
Assignee:
Xerox Corp., Stamford, CT
Patent Number(s):
US 4706255
OSTI ID:
5732642
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English