AU5342590A - Creation of Inventions and Patents with Artificial Intelligence

AU5342590A – Distributed feedback laser
– Google Patents

AU5342590A – Distributed feedback laser
– Google Patents
Distributed feedback laser

Info

Publication number
AU5342590A

AU5342590A
AU53425/90A
AU5342590A
AU5342590A
AU 5342590 A
AU5342590 A
AU 5342590A
AU 53425/90 A
AU53425/90 A
AU 53425/90A
AU 5342590 A
AU5342590 A
AU 5342590A
AU 5342590 A
AU5342590 A
AU 5342590A
Authority
AU
Australia
Prior art keywords
laser
grating
feedback
throughout
length
Prior art date
1989-03-31
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)

Granted

Application number
AU53425/90A
Other versions

AU643684B2
(en

Inventor
Leslie David Westbrook
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)

British Telecommunications PLC

Original Assignee
British Telecommunications PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
1989-03-31
Filing date
1990-04-02
Publication date
1990-11-05

1990-04-02
Application filed by British Telecommunications PLC
filed
Critical
British Telecommunications PLC

1990-11-05
Publication of AU5342590A
publication
Critical
patent/AU5342590A/en

1993-11-25
Application granted
granted
Critical

1993-11-25
Publication of AU643684B2
publication
Critical
patent/AU643684B2/en

2010-04-02
Anticipated expiration
legal-status
Critical

Status
Expired
legal-status
Critical
Current

Links

Espacenet

Global Dossier

Discuss

Classifications

H—ELECTRICITY

H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers

H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region

H01S5/12—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers

H—ELECTRICITY

H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

H01S3/00—Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range

H01S3/05—Construction or shape of optical resonators; Accommodation of active medium therein; Shape of active medium

H01S3/06—Construction or shape of active medium

H01S3/063—Waveguide lasers, i.e. whereby the dimensions of the waveguide are of the order of the light wavelength

H01S3/0632—Thin film lasers in which light propagates in the plane of the thin film

H01S3/0635—Thin film lasers in which light propagates in the plane of the thin film provided with a periodic structure, e.g. using distributed feed-back, grating couplers

H—ELECTRICITY

H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers

H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region

H01S5/1237—Lateral grating, i.e. grating only adjacent ridge or mesa

H—ELECTRICITY

H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers

H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region

H01S5/1206—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers having a non constant or multiplicity of periods

H01S5/1212—Chirped grating

H—ELECTRICITY

H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers

H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region

H01S5/1225—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers with a varying coupling constant along the optical axis

H—ELECTRICITY

H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS

H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers

H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region

H01S5/124—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers incorporating phase shifts

Abstract

Improved single-modedness is achieved in distributed feedback (DFB) lasers by minimising the feedback provided at or near the ends of the DFB grating. The feedback may be minimised at one or both ends of the grating. Feedback is controlled by reducing the coupling to the grating. Coupling is reduced by reducing the depth of the grating’s teeth and/or by increasing the spacing between adjacent teeth.

Description

DISTRIBUTED FEEDBACK LASERS
The present invention relates to distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and in particular but not exclusively to DFB semiconductor injection lasers.
DFB lasers do not utilise the cavity mirrors of conventional Fabry-Perot systems, but rather rely on backward Bragg scattering from periodic perturbations of the refractive index and/or gain of the laser medium to provide the optical feedback necessary for laser operation. DFB structures have the advantage of providing better frequency stability of the mode of oscillation than Fabry-Perot structures.
In semiconductor DFB lasers, the periodic perturbations are generally provided by means of a grating formed, usually, in a semiconductor layer adjacent the device’s active layer, the teeth and grooves of the grating extending orthogonally to the device’s optical axis. Typically the grating extends throughout the entire length of the laser, but in some devices the grating is shorter than the device, the grating ends being remote from the device ends.
The wavelength sensitivity of the Bragg effect results in DFB lasers exhibiting a high degree of spectral selection. The narrow linewidth of DFB lasers means that they are very attractive for use in optical communications

systems, not least because of the effective increase in bandwidth that can be achieved as a result of the reduced dispersion consequent on the use of a narrower linewidth source. Unfortunately, however, the optical output of DFB lasers, while of narrow linewidth, is not absolutely monochromatic: generally two and sometimes three longitudinal modes will be supported simultaneously, the dominant mode having the highest intensity output. If the power difference between the dominant and subordinate modes is great enough, the laser’s output can be considered for some purposes to be single mode. The problem lies in ensuring a sufficiently great power difference. Typically, the aim is to achieve side to main mode power ratios of – 40dB or better under the most severe operating conditions – in particular, under direct modulation.
As reported by Haus and Shank in IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, Vol. QE12, No. 9, pp 532-539, 1976, the mode spectrum of the original DFB laser as analyzed by Kogelnik and Shank (J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 43, pp2327-2335, 1972) consisted of modes of equal threshold on either side of a gap at a ‘centre’ frequency. Haus and Shank note that this threshold degeneracy is a disadvantage in practical applications where single-mode operation at a predictable frequency is desired, and they show that antisymmetric tapering of the coupling coefficient of the period of the structure may be utilized to remove the threshold degeneracy. Haus and Shank established that all structures with an antisymmetric taper of K (the feedback parameter of Kogelnik and Shank) support a mode at the centre frequency of the local stopbands. This mode has a particularly low threshold when used in a laser cavity.

Haus and Shank found that DFB lasers with a stepped-K structure, that is one with a phase shift between a first section of grating and a second section of grating, had no threshold degeneracy and had much better threshold discrimination between the fundamental mode and the first higher order mode. They also found the frequency separation between the dominant mode and the first order mode to be much greater for the stepped structure than for the uniform structure.
As a result of the work by Haus and Shank, DFB lasers are now made with phase-shifted gratings.
Ideally, the lengths of the first and second sections are each equal to half the total grating length.
While the use of phase-shifted gratings is distinctly beneficial, there is still a demand for DFB lasers with improved threshold discrimination between the fundamental mode and the first higher order mode. Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide DFB lasers having a high level of threshold discrimination between the fundamental mode and the first higher order mode.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a distributed feedback laser wherein the means which provide the feedback necessary for laser operation are distributed throughout a major portion of the length of the laser, the level of feedback provided by said means varying throughout said major portion, characterised in that the feedback provided by said means at at least one of the ends of said major portion is minimised.
We have discovered that if, instead of the feedback being constant throughout the length of the means for providing the distributed feedback, it is modified by a

function such that it is a maximum at or near the middle of the means and tends to zero at one or both of the ends of the means, improved mode discrimination can be achieved.
Preferably the function is such that there are no abrupt changes in feedback amplitude throughout the length of the means.
Preferably the means comprises a grating. Preferably the DFB laser is phase-adjusted. Preferably the phase adjustment is provided by means of a phase-shift in the means. Preferably the phase-shift occurs at or near the mid point along the length of the means.
Following the work of Haus and Shank described above, others have considered how, other than by building a phase shift into the grating, phase-adjustment could be implemented in semiconductor DFB lasers. Sekartedjo, Broberg, Koyama, Furuya and Suematsu in Jap.J.Appl.Phys., Vol. 23, No. 10, 1984, pp791-794, describe a phase-adjusted distributed reflector laser in which phase adjustment is accomplished by providing a trench 0.15μm deep and 12^m long across the width of the laser’s grooved substrate (the device being approximately 800/ιm long). Using liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) a buffer layer nominally 0.15μm thick was grown over the grating, filling the trench (the LPE growth rate being higher in the trench). The device’s active layer was then grown on the buffer layer using LPE, the remaining processing steps being conventional. The optical propagation constant over the trench is different to that in the rest of the waveguide, thereby producing a phase shift in the propagating wave.
Soda, Wakao, Sudo, Tanahashi and I ai have proposed, Electronics Lett. Vol. 20, No. 24, ppl016-1018, a phase-adjusted DFB laser in which phase-adjustment is

achieved as the result of differences in propagation constant between a 60μm long phase-adjustment region which is wider or narrower than the bulk ‘uniform’ regions at either end of the laser. The difference in width between the propagation region and the ‘uniform’ regions is achieved by varying the stripe width. The corrugations of the grating are formed throughout the length of the device (400μm) without a phase shift.
In none of the papers referenced above is there any suggestion that modifying the coupling of the grating in such a way that it tends to zero is in any way advantageous.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figures 1 to 5 are a series of sections in the same plane showing the stages in the production of a DFB laser of known type; Figure 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of a conventional ridge waveguide DFB semiconductor laser; Figure 7 is a similar perspective view of a DFB ridge waveguide laser according to the present invention, illustrating the new grating arrangement; Figure 8a is a schematic plan view of the grating of the laser shown in Figure 7; Figure 8b is a plot of tooth density against position for the grating of Figure 8a; Figure 9 is a similar schematic perspective view of a phase-shifted laser according to the present invention;

Figure 10 is a schematic view of a grating for use in a laser according to the invention, the grating providing non-uniform coupling as the result of variations in tooth depth; Figure 11 is a schematic view of an alternative grating for use in a laser according to the invention, the grating providing non-uniform coupling as the result of variations in tooth density; Figure 12 is a plot of effective e-beam exposure does received by DFB grating lines when a parabolic weighting function is used without correction for proximity effects; Figure 13 is a similar plot showing the effect of correcting for proximity effects; Figure 14 shows gain difference measured as a function of KL for conventional PSDFB lasers and those according to the present invention; and Figure 15 shows yields of devices satisfying a given Δα.L requirement for conventional PSDFB and those according to the present invention. In the following description, and elsewhere in this specification, terms such as “on top of” and “underside” are used. These terms are used for convenience only and should not be taken to denote a particular orientation of any device unless it is clear from the context that a particular orientation is intended.
In Figure 6 an example of a semiconductor DFB laser of conventional type, specifically a DFB ridge-waveguide laser as described in our European patent application 85301599.8, is shown, and it is in relation to this type of laser that the invention will be particularly

described. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is equally applicable to other laser structures, including glass lasers and dye lasers, and particularly to other semiconductor laser structures, for example buried-heterostructure lasers and multiple quantum well lasers.
The first stages in the production of the device, as far as the section shown in Figure 1, are as follows. Onto the (100) face (2 in Figure 1) of a heavily S-doped InP (n -type) substrate 1 approximately 200μm thick were grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) a series of three layers of quaternary materials 3, 4, and 5 each 0.2αm thick. Layer 3 is Te-doped (n-type) of nominal composition Ga0.17In0.83As0.36P0.64of band gap equivalent 1.15 urn as determined by photoluminescence. Layer 4 is undoped material of nominal composition
Ga0.39In0.61AS0.88P0.120f n0Ininal and ^P equivalent 1.52 urn. Layer 5 is similar to layer 3 except that it is Zn-doped (p-type). Layer 4, it will be appreciated, is the active layer in the finished device and layers 3 and 5 are the lower and upper confinement (or
“buffer”) layers.
Next, layer 5 was corrugated by chemical etching through an electron-beam-exposed resist mask in the manner described by Westbrook et al, Electronics Letters, 1982, volume 18, pages 863-865. The distributed feedback corrugations 6 are second-order of nominal period 0.46/tm, running in the 110 direction, the etching being self-limiting and resulting in triangular grooves with
(lll)A side walls. The grooves are approximately 0.16μm deep. The self-limiting nature of the etching process makes for reproducibility and control of the laser feedback strength.

Then corrugated layer 5 was overgrown with a layer 7 Zn-doped (p-type) indium phosphide by atmospheric pressure metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) while maintaining the integrity of the gratings as previously described (European patent application 84.300240.3 and also Nelson et al, Electronics Letters, 1983, volume 19, pages 34 to 36). To achieve this, trimethylindium, triethylphosphine, dimethylzinc, phosphine, and hydrogen were passed over the sample at 100°C and the sample was heated rapidly to 650°C whereupon growth occurred. Layer 7 was approximately 1.5 um thick.
Then, also by MOCVD, a layer 8 approximately 0.1 um thick of heavily Zn-doped (p -type) ternary material was grown. The material had the nominal composition In
0.53Ga0.47As’
To complete the structure of Figure 1, a layer 9 of silica, 0.2 um thick, was grown on top of layer 8 by chemical vapour deposition from silane and oxygen.
Then the substrate was thinned to lOOum by chemical etching, and the back contact of the laser (i.e. the contact on the underside of thinned layer 1) was made by evaporation of tin and gold and subsequent alloying.
The immediately subsequent treatment of the upper layers, as far as Figure 2, was as follows. 0.1 um of titanium (layer 10) and 0.1 um of gold (layer 11) were evaporated onto the silica layer 9. Then about 1 um of a positive resist Kodak 820 was applied to the gold and a dark field mask at right angles to the grating was used to make a stripe window 13 between areas of resist 12 and 12′. Windows of 2 um, 4 um, 6 um, and 15 um were made on a single wafer.
The steps as far as Figure 3 were as follows. The structure was exposed to an solution of potassium iodide

(4 g) and iodine (1 g) in 40 ml of water at 20°C for 1 to 1 /2 minutes (which etchant attacks gold layer 11) and to “Countdown silicon dioxide etch (10:1)” for 2 to 2 /2 minutes at 20°C (which etchant attacks titanium layer 10 and silica layer 9). The result was an undercut etching down to the top layer 8 of semiconductor material. By exposing this sequentially to filaments of evaporating titanium and gold, an image 14, 15 of the window was obtained on the exposed semiconductor. At the same time, titanium layers 16, 16′ and gold layers 17, 17′ were deposited on top of the resist 12, 12′. The wire filaments used were 10 cm away from the target and the thickness of each metal deposited was about 0.1 um.
Then the structure shown in Figure 3 was soaked in acetone for two minutes so as to remove the resist 12, 12′ and therewith layers 16, 16′, 17, and 17′. The result as shown in Figure 4 is an “initial semiconductor structure^ as referred to with respect to the second aspect of the invention carrying two sequential layers of metal comprising sub-layers 14 and 15 and separate layers of dielectric 9 and 9′, which latter are themselves in this case overlaid with metal 10 and 11 and 10′ and 11′. The distance between the edges of the metal layers 14, 15 and the edge of the dielectric 9, 9* was approximately 4 um.
By treating this structure with 16 weight per cent aqueous H103 at 20°C for 20 seconds to 1 minute (to attack ternary layer 8) and then with a 1:1 mixture by volume of concentrated hydrochloric acid and 90 per cent orthophosphoric acid at 20°C for 30 to 40 seconds (to attacking quaternary layer 5), the result shown in Figure 5 is received.
In Figure 5, the etching through layers 8 and 7 has been shown as vertical, although in practice this is

unlikely to be the case. It will be seen that, in the terminology previously used, the base semiconductor portion is constituted by layers 1, 3, 4, and 5; the first elevated semiconductor potion (constituting the ridge of the laser) by 7″ and 8”; the second elevated semiconductor portions by 7 and 8; and the third by 7′ and 8′ . It will be noted that while the first such portion carries metal layers titanium 14 and gold 15 in electrical contact therewith the other portions carry the dielectric silica 9 and 9′. The insides of channels 16, 17 are substantially free of dielectric and metal.
As is conventional, all the steps above were in fact performed on a wafer which was then cut up to yield several devices, a single such device being shown schematically in Figure 6. In Figure 6, the second and third elevated semiconductor portions are omitted so as to show clearly the relative orientation of the ridge and the grating. The reference numerals up to 15 have the same significance as previously. Facet 18 of the device is a cleaved facet, the other three side facets such as 19 being treated (scribed or AR coated) so as to suppress Fabry-Perot laser modes other than the mode selected by the DFB grating.
Figure 7 shows schematically one embodiment of the present invention. As is clear from a comparison of Figures 6 and 7, in this embrodiment of the invention, the tooth density of the grating varies along the grating’s length. By reference to figures 8a and 8b, it can be seen that the tooth density varies parabolically, with tooth spacing increasing towards each end of the grating. It should be noted that the tooth spacing is not in fact a continuous variable; the spacing between adjacent teeth centres is an integer times the fundamental Bragg period.

In Figure 9, a buried heterostructure laser according to the invention is shown with a grating similar to that shown in Figure 8 apart from the incorporation of a phase shift at its mid-point.
The end facets of the devices shown in Figures 8 and 9 are antireflection coated. In general it is preferable to have as low a reflectivity as possible, because the benefit of devices according to the invention is increased as facet reflectivity is reduced, at least down to 0.1 percent. Preferably, therefore, facet reflectivities of 1 percent or less are used. More preferably, the facet reflectivities are less than or equal to 0.5 percent. Still more preferably, the facet reflectivities are 0.1 percent or less. All reflectivities in this specification are determined at an operating wavelength of the device, . as is conventional.
As an alternative to varying tooth spacing, grating coupling may be varied according to the invention by varying tooth depth. A schematic example of this approach is shown in Figure 10. If electron-beam lithography is used in the grating definition process, a grating in which tooth depth varies, as shown in Figure 10, may be produced by varying the e-beam exposure dose. A schematic sectional view of the alternative structure, in which coupling is varied by varying tooth separation also shown in Figure 8, is shown in Figure 11.
Using electron-beam lithography, this form of grating is produced with a uniform e-beam dose with an appropriate exposure pattern (in effect, grooves/teeth are left out with increasing frequency as the grating ends are approached). The proximity effects which are experienced in electron-beam lithography mean that using the same e-beam does in writing each line results in lower exposure for lines which are widely spaced than for those which are more closely spaced. Figure 12 illustrates the effective exposure does received by DFB grating lines when a parabolic weighting function is used and no correction is

made for proximity effects. The lowest exposure is received by lines towards the end of the grating which receive only 73 per cent of the peak exposure does. Such an approach results in faint, uneven or missing grating lines. This problem can be overcome by using as near as possible a uniform e-beam does in writing the grating. Figure 13 illustrates the effective exposure does received by a DFB grating (with the same parabolic weighting function as that used for Figure 12) when proximity effect correction is used. By increasing the writing time for lines at the end of the grating the worst case (minimum) exposure has been increased to 94.4 per cent of the peak exposure dose, resulting in a much more uniform etching of grating lines. Since this approach is very easy to implement it is the preferred approach.
It is of course possible to vary grating coupling by combining tooth depth and density variations.
Grating coupling may be varied in a yet further way, by directly varying the refractive index of the layer (waveguide) in which the grating is formed. The refractive index may for example be varied by means of a local implant of diffusion of some index-controlling material. With such an approach, a conventional grating structure could be used.
The present invention is based on our appreciation that if the level of feedback is gradually reduced to zero at the ends of a laser grating, the side modes are suppressed, increasing the theoretical gain difference, MSR and single mode device yield (that is the percentage of devices from a given wafer which are in fact useably single moded). Our calculations have also shown that by combining this weighting with a central phase shift, a much larger mode suppression ratio can be achieved than is possible using the phase shift alone. Figure 14 shows the gain difference Δα.L between the principal lasing mode and the strongest side-mode calculated as a function of KL for phase shifted structures of this type, together with

similar calculations for a conventional phase shifted DFB laser, assuming zero facet reflectivity. As can be seen from this figure, Δα.L for these non-uniform gratings is more than twice that for the simple phase-shifted DFB (PSDFB) at KL=2, and continues to rise at larger KL. This increase in Δα.L leads to a substantially larger single-mode suppression ratio. Figure 15 shows the percentage yield of devices satisfying a given Δα.L requirement, again calculated for weighted and uniform PSDFB structures, assuming a residual facet reflectivity of 0.3 per cent (a typical facet reflectivity for AR coated facets of modest quality) and a random distribution of facet phases. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, a low but non-zero residual facet reflectivity will tend to improve the single-modedness of uniform PSDFB devices, but will tend to reduce the benefits of the present invention relative to the performance of equivalent devices having zero facet reflectivities. Despite this, it is clear from this graph that non-uniform gratings of this type (according to the present invention) produce much higher yields of devices with large Δα.L than are achievable with uniform PSDFB structures.
So far the invention has been described with reference to symmetrical grating structures, in which coupling is reduced equally towards each end of the grating. There are, however, applications where it would be advantageous if the grating had an assymmetrical structure. In particular there would be advantages in having grating coupling tending to zero at only one end of the grating.
As has already been mentioned, the present invention may be realised in some form other than a semiconductor laser, such as, for example, a dye laser or a doped-glass laser.
For the avoidance of doubt, it should be noted that the terms distributed feedback laser and DFB laser used in this specification are not to be taken as referring to distributed bragg reflector (DBR) lasers.

In DBR lasers the grating region is spaced, in the direction of propagation (z), from the active region. In effect the grating or gratings function as wavelength-selective mirrors spaced, in the direction of propagation, from the active region. Conversely, in DFB laser the grating, while generally spaced in the X or Y direction from the active layer, lies parallel to the active layer throughout the entire grating length (but not necessarily throughout the entire active layer length).

Claims (18)

1. A distributed feedback laser wherein the means which provide the feedback necessary for laser operation are distributed throughout a major portion of the length of the laser, the level of feedback provided by said means varying throughout said major portion, characterised in that the feedback provided by said means at at least one of the ends of said major portion is minimised.

2. A laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein, in use, substantially all the optical feedback within the device is provided by said means.

3. A laser as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the amount of feedback provided throughout said major portion varies without abrupt changes, the degree of feedback provided by said means tending to zero adjacent at least one of the ends of said portion.

4. A laser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the means comprises a grating.

5. A laser as claimed in claim 4, wherein the variation in the level of feedback provided by said means is the result of a property of the grating varying along the length of the grating.

6. A laser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grating property which varies is tooth depth.

7. A laser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grating property which varies is tooth spacing.

8. A laser as claimed in claim 5, in which the tooth depth and tooth pitch of the grating are both varied.

9. A laser as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8 wherein the grating extends along substantially the entire length of the laser.

10. A laser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the laser comprises a semiconductor injection laser.

11. A laser as claimed in claim 10 having at least one optical facet which is antireflection coated and which has a reflectivity at an operating wavelength of the device which is 1 percent or less.

12. A laser as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 as dependent on claim 3, wherein the grating is formed in one surface of a waveguiding layer, the laser additionally comprising an active layer, variations in the thickness and/or width of the waveguiding layer resulting in said feedback variation.

13. A laser as claimed in any one of claim 9, 10 or 11 wherein the laser comprises a ridge-waveguide structure.

14. A laser as claimed in any one of claim 9 to 12, wherein the laser comprises a buried-heterostructure.

15. A laser as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 13, comprising an indium phosphide substrate.

16. A laser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the laser having an operating wavelength of between 1.3

17. A distributed feedback laser wherein means are distributed throughout a major portion of the length of the laser to give optical feedback, the amount of feedback provided by said means varying throughout said major portion, characterised in that the amount of feedback varies without abrupt changes, the degree of feedback provided by said means tending to zero adjacent at least of the ends of said portion.

18. A distributed feedback laser wherein a grating is provided to give optical feedback, the optical coupling of the grating varying with position along its length, characterised in that throughout the length of the grating there are no abrupt changes in the degree of coupling, and in that adjacent at least one of the ends of the grating the coupling tends smoothly to zero.

AU53425/90A
1989-03-31
1990-04-02
Distributed feedback laser

Expired

AU643684B2
(en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number
Priority Date
Filing Date
Title

GB8907304

1989-03-31

GB898907304A

GB8907304D0
(en)

1989-03-31
1989-03-31
Distributed feedback lasers

Publications (2)

Publication Number
Publication Date

AU5342590A
true

AU5342590A
(en)

1990-11-05

AU643684B2

AU643684B2
(en)

1993-11-25

Family
ID=10654263
Family Applications (1)

Application Number
Title
Priority Date
Filing Date

AU53425/90A
Expired

AU643684B2
(en)

1989-03-31
1990-04-02
Distributed feedback laser

Country Status (13)

Country
Link

US
(1)

US5329542A
(en)

EP
(1)

EP0390614B1
(en)

JP
(1)

JP2984365B2
(en)

KR
(1)

KR100236313B1
(en)

AT
(1)

ATE127628T1
(en)

AU
(1)

AU643684B2
(en)

CA
(1)

CA2049356C
(en)

DE
(1)

DE69024064T2
(en)

ES
(1)

ES2076306T3
(en)

GB
(1)

GB8907304D0
(en)

HK
(1)

HK142496A
(en)

IE
(1)

IE70326B1
(en)

WO
(1)

WO1990012436A1
(en)

Families Citing this family (30)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

JP2982422B2
(en)

1991-09-20
1999-11-22
三菱電機株式会社

Semiconductor laser and method of manufacturing the same

FR2690572B1
(en)

1992-04-24
1994-07-22
France Telecom

LASER STRUCTURE WITH DISTRIBUTED FEEDBACK.

DE4334525A1
(en)

1993-10-09
1995-04-13
Deutsche Bundespost Telekom

Optoelectronic component with distributed feedback and variable coupling coefficient

FR2713350B1
(en)

1993-12-06
1995-12-29
Franck Delorme

Optical component with a plurality of bragg gratings and method for manufacturing this component.

DE4407832A1
(en)

1994-03-09
1995-09-14
Ant Nachrichtentech

Method for producing an optoelectronic component with a defined axial variation of the coupling coefficient and a defined axial distribution of the phase shift

US6151351A
(en)

1994-09-28
2000-11-21
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Distributed feedback semiconductor laser and method for producing the same

US5727013A
(en)

1995-10-27
1998-03-10
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Single lobe surface emitting complex coupled distributed feedback semiconductor laser

EP0782226A1
(en)

1995-12-28
1997-07-02
Lucent Technologies Inc.
Method of making distributed feedback laser having spatial variation of grating coupling along laser cavity length

JPH1098235A
(en)

1996-08-01
1998-04-14
Pioneer Electron Corp
Non-regrowth distribution feedback ridge type semiconductor laser and its manufacture

JP3298619B2
(en)

1998-06-10
2002-07-02
日本電気株式会社

Manufacturing method of semiconductor laser

JP3141854B2
(en)

1998-09-28
2001-03-07
日本電気株式会社

Method for manufacturing optical semiconductor device

JP3594826B2
(en)

1999-02-09
2004-12-02
パイオニア株式会社

Nitride semiconductor light emitting device and method of manufacturing the same

US6810053B1
(en)

1999-08-13
2004-10-26
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Single mode, single lobe surface emitting distributed feedback semiconductor laser

US6477194B1
(en)

1999-11-15
2002-11-05
Agere Systems Guardian Corp.
Low temperature distributed feedback laser with loss grating and method

JP2002252420A
(en)

2000-12-15
2002-09-06
Furukawa Electric Co Ltd:The
Semiconductor laser device, semiconductor laser module and its manufacturing method, and optical fiber amplifier

US6696311B2
(en)

2001-05-03
2004-02-24
Spectra-Physics Semicond. Lasers, In
Increasing the yield of precise wavelength lasers

KR100388485B1
(en)

2001-05-31
2003-06-25
한국전자통신연구원
Multi-wavelength semiconductor laser array structure and fabricating the same

DE10132231C2
(en)

2001-06-29
2003-08-14
Infineon Technologies Ag

Process for the in-situ production of DFB lasers

EP1283571B1
(en)

2001-08-06
2015-01-14
nanoplus GmbH Nanosystems and Technologies
Laser with weakly coupled grating

CA2473396C
(en)

2002-01-18
2009-06-23
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
High coherent power, two-dimensional surface-emitting semiconductor diode array laser

US7457340B2
(en)

2002-01-18
2008-11-25
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
High coherent power, two-dimensional surface-emitting semiconductor diode array laser

US7180930B2
(en)

2002-06-20
2007-02-20
The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.
DFB semiconductor laser device having ununiform arrangement of a diffraction grating

US6845115B2
(en)

2002-12-05
2005-01-18
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Coupled resonant cavity surface-emitting laser

KR100674836B1
(en)

2005-02-28
2007-01-26
삼성전기주식회사
High power single mode semiconductor laser device and method of producing the same

US7403552B2
(en)

2006-03-10
2008-07-22
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
High efficiency intersubband semiconductor lasers

US7457338B2
(en)

2006-04-19
2008-11-25
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Quantum well lasers with strained quantum wells and dilute nitride barriers

US7408966B2
(en)

2006-08-18
2008-08-05
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Intersubband quantum box stack lasers

US20080112670A1
(en)

2006-11-15
2008-05-15
David Brooks
Wavelength filter

DE102016014938B4
(en)

2016-12-14
2019-06-27
Forschungsverbund Berlin E.V.

Light-emitting device based on a photonic crystal with columnar or wall-shaped semiconductor elements, and method for their operation and manufacture

CA3140554A1
(en)

2019-05-16
2020-11-19
National Research Council Of Canada
Synthesized aperiodic gratings and method of manufacture

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

US4096446A
(en)

1976-02-02
1978-06-20
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated
Distributed feedback devices with perturbations deviating from uniformity for removing mode degeneracy

US4775980A
(en)

1983-12-14
1988-10-04
Hitachi, Ltd.
Distributed-feedback semiconductor laser device

GB8406432D0
(en)

1984-03-12
1984-04-18
British Telecomm
Semiconductor devices

JPS61255085A
(en)

1985-05-08
1986-11-12
Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Semiconductor laser device

GB2209408B
(en)

1987-09-04
1991-08-21
Plessey Co Plc
Optical waveguide device having surface relief diffraction grating

1989

1989-03-31
GB
GB898907304A
patent/GB8907304D0/en
active
Pending

1990

1990-04-02
ES
ES90303530T
patent/ES2076306T3/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

1990-04-02
WO
PCT/GB1990/000488
patent/WO1990012436A1/en
active
Application Filing

1990-04-02
AU
AU53425/90A
patent/AU643684B2/en
not_active
Expired

1990-04-02
DE
DE69024064T
patent/DE69024064T2/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

1990-04-02
CA
CA002049356A
patent/CA2049356C/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

1990-04-02
IE
IE118890A
patent/IE70326B1/en
not_active
IP Right Cessation

1990-04-02
AT
AT90303530T
patent/ATE127628T1/en
not_active
IP Right Cessation

1990-04-02
JP
JP2505185A
patent/JP2984365B2/en
not_active
Expired – Fee Related

1990-04-02
US
US07/781,178
patent/US5329542A/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

1990-04-02
EP
EP90303530A
patent/EP0390614B1/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

1991

1991-09-30
KR
KR1019910701236A
patent/KR100236313B1/en
not_active
IP Right Cessation

1996

1996-08-01
HK
HK142496A
patent/HK142496A/en
not_active
IP Right Cessation

Also Published As

Publication number
Publication date

GB8907304D0
(en)

1989-05-17

US5329542A
(en)

1994-07-12

JPH04505687A
(en)

1992-10-01

JP2984365B2
(en)

1999-11-29

IE901188L
(en)

1990-09-30

KR920702053A
(en)

1992-08-12

WO1990012436A1
(en)

1990-10-18

HK142496A
(en)

1996-08-09

ATE127628T1
(en)

1995-09-15

IE70326B1
(en)

1996-11-13

AU643684B2
(en)

1993-11-25

CA2049356C
(en)

1997-11-18

EP0390614B1
(en)

1995-09-06

ES2076306T3
(en)

1995-11-01

DE69024064D1
(en)

1996-01-18

KR100236313B1
(en)

1999-12-15

DE69024064T2
(en)

1996-04-11

EP0390614A1
(en)

1990-10-03

CA2049356A1
(en)

1990-10-01

Contact information