Method for manufacturing of integrated DFB laser with coupled strip waveguide on a substrate

US4656636A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Markus-Christian Amann · Munich, DE
• Hans Mahlein · Unterhaching, DE
• Bernhard Stegmueller · Augsburg, DE
• Wolfgang Thulke · Munich, DE
• Gerhard Winzer · Munich, DE
• Ulrich Wolff · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 23, 1985
• Grant date: Apr 7, 1987
• Expiry date: Dec 23, 2005

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/32391
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for integrating a DFB laser and a passive strip waveguide on a substrate. A layer stack is produced in a first epitaxy step, the layer stack having a laser-active layer and a surface-wide grating on the uppermost layer, and eroding the stack area-wise, but only down to a layer under the laser-active layer, not down to the substrate, by means of etching to create a step separating the laser region from the passive strip waveguide region. By employing an etching stop layer, the etching can ensue self-adjustingly, and the coupling between the laser-active layer and the passive strip waveguide region occurs not by end coupling, but by surface coupling. Only two epitaxy steps are required for the complete manufacture of the structure, and a strip required for the definition of the laser and of the waveguide can be produced in the same single method step.