Improved Manufacturing of Semiconductor Lasers

Brief Description

A method of fabricating solid state lasers with embedded structures for improved performance via patterning.

Background

There is a need to improve the performance of horizontal emitting, vertical emitting, beam shaped and distributed feedback lasers. Traditionally, photonic crystals placed on the surface of the devices have been used to improve performance.

Description

Researchers at UCSB have developed a method of fabricating solid state lasers with embedded structures for improved performance via patterning. The patterned layer(s) may be engineered to act as a mirror, optical confinement layer, grating, wavelength selective element, beam shaping element, etc. for the active layers. The key advantage of this improvement is that it places the photonic crystal layer above the active layer for better performance. Conventional approaches place the photonic crystal layer below the active layer.

Advantages

• Improved performance of the laser

• Improved contact structures and reduced waveguiding loss by contact electrodes

Applications

• fiber optic networks

• Instrumentation lasers

• Optical spectroscopy   

This technology is available for licensing.   

Patent Status