Integrated quantum well lasers having uniform thickness lasing regions for wavelength multiplexing

US4740978A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Föderung der Wissenschaften e.V. · US

Inventors

• Ernst O. Gobel · Echterdingen, DE
• Klaus Ploog · Stuttgart, DE
• Helmut Jung · Hagen, DE
• Jurgen Kuhl · Leonberg, DE
• Reiner Hoger · Asperg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 28, 1986
• Grant date: Apr 26, 1988
• Expiry date: Feb 28, 2006

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/4087
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A semiconductor laser device comprises a plurality of layers of semicondung materials, first contact means providing electrical contact to a basal layer of the device and second contact means providing electrical contact to an upper layer of the device, with at least one layer disposed between the basal layer and the upper layer being selected to be sufficiently thin that size quantization occurs, i.e. that a semiconductor device with a quantum well structure is created. The second contact means comprises a first strip-like contact overlying a first lasing region of the device and a second strip-like contact overlying a second lasing region of the device. The light losses associated with photons generated by laser action in the first region are intentionally made different from the light losses associated with photons generated by laser action in the second region which permits laser action at two distinct wavelengths in a monolithic device.