GaAs/GaAlAs curved rib waveguides

Curved dielectric optical waveguides suffer from radiation loss due to bending. To minimize the bending loss and reduce the radius of curvature, it is necessary to fabricate guides which provide strong optical confinement. This paper gives a brief review of curved waveguide analysis and presents some experimentally measured loss values for GaAs/GaAlAs curved rib waveguides. The rib waveguides, fabricated using ion beam milling, have a large rib height and are tightly guided structures. When corrected for reflection losses and input coupling efficiency, a minimum loss of approximately 3 dB has been achieved for a multimode 90° curved guide with a radius of curvature of 300 μm, and 8.5 dB for a single-mode curved guide with a radius of curvature of 400 μm. It is believed that most of this residual loss is not radiation loss due to bending, but rather scattering loss due to rib wall imperfections.     

Demonstration of grating demultiplexer in GaAs/AlGaAs suitable for integration

Based on Rowland circle construction, a grating spectrometer integrated with 90 degrees curved output waveguides was designed and fabricated in a GaAs/AlGaAs waveguide structure. By incorporating curved waveguides, a larger separation between output facets was obtained.<>     

Diffusion-limited etching for compact, low-loss semiconductor integrated optics

It is shown that diffusion-limited wet chemical etching can be used to fabricated single-mode GaAs/AlGaAs rib waveguides suitable for compact circular waveguide bends (300- mu m radius). The waveguides exhibit lower propagation losses (1-4 dB/cm at 1.52- mu m wavelength) than previously reported guides fabricated for compact bend applications by dry etching. To study the radius dependence of waveguide bend loss, a set of nested 90 degrees circular bends was fabricated simultaneously on a single chip.<>     

GaAs integrated optical circuits by wet chemical etching

An integrated optical circuit containing a laser, passive waveguide, and extra-cavity detector is described. These devices are fabricated from AlxGa1-xAs layers grown by liquid-phase epitaxy. Reflectors are formed by a two-step preferential etch procedure. For proper laser orientation on {100} wafers, the mirrors are found to be oblique, tapered so as to enhance coupling into the underlying passive waveguide; this increases the efficiency of radiation transfer to the detector. Device operation with high differential transfer efficiency and low threshold has been achieved; e.g., for devices with one etched mirror and one cleaved mirror, ηt= 16 percent andJ_{t} = 2.4kA/cm², whereas these values areeta_{t} = 6.5percent and Jt= 3.0 kA/cm²for devices with two etched mirrors. Other orientations on {100} and {110} wafers have also been investigated. The reflectivity of the etched mirrors is small,R_{e} simeq 1-2percent, but transfer efficiencies into the external passive waveguide as large asT = 50percent have been observed. The effect of small Reon device performance is examined both experimentally and theoretically. The fabrication of ribbed interconnections between active circuit components is also described.     

Pair-groove-substrate GaAs/AlGaAs multiquantum-well lasers with a self-aligned stripe geometry

GaAs/AlGaAs multiquantum-well (MQW) lasers with a self-aligned structure incorporating a waveguide and current confinement were fabricated on a substrate with a pair of etched grooves using two-step epitaxial growth. First, a current-blocking layer was grown selectively on the substrate by low-pressure organometallic vapour-phase epitaxy (OMVPE), and then the GaAs/AlGaAs MQW laser structure was constructed on the substrate with the OMVPE layer by molecular-beam epitaxy. The mesa-shaped part of the active layer above the current-confinement region provides a lateral refractive-index optical waveguide. The lasers show well controlled transverse-mode oscillations with low threshold currents.     

Low-loss single-mode GaAs/AlGaAs miniature optical waveguides withstraight and bending structures

Low-loss single-mode GaAs/AlGaAs miniature optical waveguides fabricated for use in monolithically integrated optical circuits are discussed. The propagation characteristics of these waveguides with straight and S-bending structures have been investigated at wavelengths of 1.30 and 1.55 μm. The lowest propagation losses are estimated to be 0.58 dB/cm and 0.69 dB/cm at wavelengths of 1.30 and 1.55 μm, respectively. The total loss of an S-bending waveguide with a curvature radius of 2 mm and with a lateral displacement of 200 μm was 0.61 dB and 0.46 dB at wavelengths of 1.30 and 1.55 μm. The fabricated single-mode strip-loaded waveguides proved to be suitable for application of the semiconductor waveguide into monolithically integrated optical circuits     

850-nm diode lasers based on AlGaAsP/GaAs heterostructures

Laser heterostructures with waveguides and emitter layers made of AlGaAs and AlGaAsP alloys are grown by hydride metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy on a GaAs substrate and studied. It was shown that the heterostructure containing AlGaAsP layers has a large curvature radius in comparison with the structure consisting of AlGaAs layers. Ridge waveguide lasers with an aperture of 100 ??m are fabricated based on the AlGaAsP/GaAs laser heterostructure and studied. The internal optical loss of the lasers is 0.75 cm^?1; the characteristic parameter T ₀ = 140 K in the temperature range of 20?C70°C. The maximum optical output power per mirror reached 4.1 W; cw lasing was retained at a heat sink temperature of 120°C.     

AlGaAs/GaAs self-aligned LD's fabricated by the process containing vapor phase etching and subsequent MOVPE regrowth

A new fabrication process has been successfully applied for the first time to the AlGaAs/GaAs laser diode. This new process includes vapor phase etching and subsequent MOVPE regrowth. Self-aligned LD's fabricated by this process have shown sufficiently good characteristics (Ith = 50-60mA,eta_{D} = 40-45percent), and good reliability (no degradation at least up to 1000 h:50°C, 5mW, automatic power control mode).     

Integration of a laser diode with a polymer-based waveguide forphotonic integrated circuits

The fabrication and characterization of BRS lasers monolithically integrated with butt-coupled polymer-based buried strip waveguides is presented. Threshold currents of lasers with one cleaved and one etched mirror facets are 15-18 mA and waveguide output powers are in excess of 5 mW at 100 mA laser driving currents and for 600 μm long waveguides. The device exhibits a total waveguide insertion loss less than 5 dB. The integrated device is potentially suitable as a building-block for photonic integrated circuits     

Relaxation study of AlGaAs cladding layers in InGaAs/GaAs (111)B lasers designed for 1.0-1.1 μm operation

InGaAs/GaAs-based lasers require thick AlGaAs cladding layers to provide optical confinement. Although the lattice mismatch between GaAs and AlGaAs is very low, relaxation may occur due to the thickness requirement for an AlGaAs waveguide of the order of microns. We have studied the relaxation of InGaAs/GaAs lasers with AlGaAs waveguides grown on GaAs (111)B substrates. We have observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that certain AlGaAs layers show a high density of threading dislocations (TDs), whilst other AlGaAs layers remain essentially dislocation free. To explain the experimental results a model based on dislocation multiplication has been developed. TDs in the AlGaAs cladding layers are observed when the critical layer thickness (CLT) for dislocation multiplication has been overcome. Consequently, a design rule based on a modified CLT model for AlGaAs/GaAs (111)B is proposed.     

Precise determination of turning mirror loss using GaAs/AlGaAslasers with up to ten 90° intracavity turning mirrors

The authors report the fabrication and testing of GaAs/AlGaAs ridge-waveguide lasers with two, six, and ten 90° intracavity turning mirrors using temperature-controlled chemically assisted ion beam etching. By measuring the laser threshold current as a function of the number of mirrors over an entire 1-cm² wafer, the authors make a very reliable estimate of the average single-pass turning mirror loss of 1.16±0.14 dB/mirror. Comparison with theory shows that the etched facets have a very small RMS surface roughness of less than 150 Å     

An AlGaAs/GaAs short-cavity laser and its monolithic integration using microcleaved facets (MCF) process

This paper describes the microcleaved facets (MCF) process developed for AlGaAs/GaAs laser fabrication which can avoid the previous substrate cleavage and therefore be applicable to preparing both discrete short-cavity lasers and optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEIC's). An AlGaAs/GaAs double heterostructure ridge-waveguide laser with an extremely short cavity length, namely 20 μm, was first realized by this process. A threshold current as low as 20 mA and a single longitudinal mode lasing were achieved. The usefulness of this process for integrating a laser and a monitoring photodiode on a GaAs substrate is also demonstrated.     

A theoretical study of semiconductor integrated etalon interference lasers--Part I: Waveguiding properties and intermodal coupling analysis

We present a theoretical study of semiconductor interferometric lasers, having a resonator with curved and straight segments, in two parts. In this first part, the wave equation in a curved dielectric waveguide is solved by applying the conformal transformation method to develop design criteria for curved optical waveguides in integrated optics. An intermodal coupling analysis at the junction discontinuity between a curved and straight waveguide is carried out to define a scattering matrix representing lateral mode conversion and internal reflection at the junction. The results of the theoretical analysis reveal two important consequences: 1) an extremely low internal reflection coefficient for the fundamental lateral mode, and 2) an increased internal reflection into higher order lateral modes. This phenomenon leads us to the conclusion that the interferometric effect in integrated etalon interference lasers is caused by the participation of higher order lateral modes into the resonance process.     

MOCVD growth of AlGaAs/GaAs structures on nonplanar {111} substrates: Evidence for lateral gas phase diffusion

We investigate the MOCVD growth characteristics of AlGaAs on nonplanar {111}A and {111}B substrates. Growth over features etched into the {111} substrates is found to be highly anisotropic and asymmetric. The ratio of growth rates on adjacent facets is strongly dependent on the depth of the etched feature during growth, and is strikingly different between AlGaAs and GaAs layers. These observations suggest a large difference in the surface chemistry of Al and Ga species under these growth conditions and indicate that the column III element determines the relative growth rates of different facets during nonplanar growth. The results also provide strong evidence that lateral gas phase diffusion of reactants can be perhaps more significant than surface migration as a mechanism determining the incorporation sites of column III elements. Growth characteristics on nonplanar {111} substrates are markedly different than those observed for nonplanar growth on {100} substrates, creating a new set of design tools for the single step growth of guided wave devices such as lasers, modulators and waveguides.     

Chemically etched-mirror GaInAsP/InP lasers--Review

Detailed results on stripe GaxIn1-xAsyP1-y/InP lasers (lambda = 1.3 mum) with chemically etched-mirrors are reviewed. These devices are fabricated from GaInAsP/InP wafers grown by liquid phase epitaxy. A simple stripe laser structure with one etched mirror and one cleaved mirror is proposed. Monolithic passivation has been achieved using a Si3N4film and metal coatings on the etched facets. These processes not only increase the reflectivity of the etched mirrors, resulting in threshold currents even lower than uncoated cleaved devices, but also ease the problem of bonding of the chips on heat sinks. CW operation at room temperature has been achieved. Threshold currents of devices with 10 μm stripe electrodes were about 180-200 mA. Short cavity lasers and integrated monitoring detectors have also been demonstrated.     

Single-Facet Folded-Cavity Diode Laser With Ultrasmall Bend Radius High-Index-Contrast Oxidized AlGaAs Ridge Waveguide

AlGaAs heterostructure high-index-contrast (HIC) ridge waveguide (RWG) diode lasers incorporating a folded-cavity single-facet resonator with a folding bend radius as small as r=10 mum are demonstrated. Fabricated by a self-aligned deep dry etch (through the active region) plus nonselective O₂-enhanced wet thermal oxidization process, the low-index, insulating, and interface-passivating wet thermal oxide grown directly on the etch-exposed AlGaAs waveguide sidewalls yields a high lateral refractive index contrast of Deltan~1.7 and provides strong optical mode confinement. The HIC RWG device geometry also completely eliminates lateral current spreading, which results in an excellent overlap between the optical field and the gain region of the single InAlGaAs quantum-well graded-index separate confinement heterostructure. A threshold current of I_th=65mA is obtained for the r=10 mum device (a half-racetrack ring resonator), giving a threshold current density of Jth=1503 A/cm², 3.34 times higher than that of same-length straight lasers. At a bend radius of r=150 mum, I_th=16.6 mA, and J_th is comparable to straight cavity values, indicating that at this curvature there is negligible bending and scattering loss for the lowest-order waveguide mode     

A high-density, four-channel, OEIC transceiver module utilizingplanar-processed optical waveguides and flip-chip, solder-bumptechnology

An optoelectronic transceiver module is described consisting of a four-channel AlGaAs integrated laser/monitor transmitter and a four-channel GaAs MESFET integrated detector/preamp receiver. The optoelectronic chips are flip-chip, solder-bump bonded to a substrate containing electrical wiring and planar-processed optical waveguides. The optical waveguide layer serves two purposes: the routing of optical signals, as well providing mechanical registrations for the optoelectronic chips and fiber-optic ribbon connector. The work described here demonstrates one approach to high-density, optoelectronic array packaging compatible with existing high-performance electronic packaging technology     

Laser-fabricated delay lines in GaAs for optically steeredphased-array radar

We have used laser direct fabrication techniques to implement optical delay lines on an epitaxial GaAs/AlGaAs substrate. These integrated photonic circuits, which are important for optically-controlled phased-array radar, include asymmetric splitters with various splitting ratios, smoothly curved 90° bends, as well as linear waveguides. The delay lines were tested and found to have the desired delay and a power-output uniformity of ±2-4%     

Laser-fabricated low-loss single-mode waveguiding devices in GaAs

A maskless laser etching technique was used to fabricate novel waveguides and waveguiding structures directly into the surface of GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. The modal and loss properties of these groove-defined structures have been measured as a function of waveguide geometry, and low-loss single-mode waveguides have been produced. The technique was used to fabricate various passive optical devices in a single processing step. Waveguide bend and branch losses were measured and are comparable to those in conventionally fabricated devices. Experimental results are described by simple theoretical models. The technique is attractive as a prototyping tool for developing and testing new integrated optic circuits     

High-power laser diodes of wavelength 808 nm based on various types of asymmetric heterostructures with an ultrawide waveguide

The parameters of high-power multimode laser diodes featuring a radiation wavelength of 808 nm obtained on the basis of asymmetric heterostructures with an ultrawide waveguide in the systems of AlGaAs/GaAs and (Al)GaInP/GaInAsP/GaAs are compared. In the lasers based on an AlGaAs/GaAs system, the maximum optical power was limited by optical degradation of the SiO₂/Si mirrors and amounted to 4.7 W. In the lasers based on an (Al)GaInP/GaInAsP/GaAs system, the maximum optical power was limited by thermal saturation and equaled 7 W. The obtained results show that the (Al)GaInP/GaInAsP/GaAs system is more reliable from the standpoint of an increase in both the maximum optical power and operation life of lasers.