Semiconductor laser devices having lateral refractive index tailoring

Patent · 31 December 1989

OSTI ID:867574

Ashby, Carol I. H. ^[1]; Hadley, G Ronald ^[2]; Hohimer, John P ^[3]; Owyoung, Adelbert ^[3]

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1. Edgewood, NM
2. Alburquerque, NM
3. Albuquerque, NM

A broad-area semiconductor laser diode includes an active lasing region interposed between an upper and a lower cladding layer, the laser diode further comprising structure for controllably varying a lateral refractive index profile of the diode to substantially compensate for an effect of junction heating during operation. In embodiments disclosed the controlling structure comprises resistive heating strips or non-radiative linear junctions disposed parallel to the active region. Another embodiment discloses a multi-layered upper cladding region selectively disordered by implanted or diffused dopant impurities. Still another embodiment discloses an upper cladding layer of variable thickness that is convex in shape and symmetrically disposed about a central axis of the active region. The teaching of the invention is also shown to be applicable to arrays of semiconductor laser diodes.

• Research Organization: AT & T CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4965806
• OSTI ID: 867574
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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active
active lasing
active region
applicable
arrays
axis
broad-area
broad-area semiconductor
central
central axis
cladding
cladding layer
compensate
comprises
comprising
comprising structure
controllably
controllably varying
controlling
convex
devices
diffused
diode
diodes
disclosed
discloses
disordered
disposed
disposed parallel
dopant
dopant impurities
effect
embodiment
embodiments
heating
implanted
impurities
index
index profile
interposed
junction
junctions
laser
laser device
laser diode
laser diodes
lasing
lasing region
lateral
lateral refractive
layer
linear
multi-layered
non-radiative
operation
parallel
profile
refractive
refractive index
region
resistive
resistive heating
selectively
semiconductor
semiconductor laser
shape
shown
strips
structure
structure comprises
substantially
symmetrically
symmetrically disposed
tailoring
teaching
thickness
upper
variable
variable thickness
varying