Long wavelength semiconductor lasers incorporating waveguides based on surface plasmons
US6301282A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 9, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S2301/145
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A long wavelength (e.g., mid-IR to far-IR) semiconductor laser comprises an active region and at least one cladding region characterized in that the cladding region includes a light guiding interface between two materials which have dielectric constants opposite in sign. Consequently, the guided modes are transverse magnetic polarized surface waves (i.e., surface plasmons) which propagate along the interface without the need for a traditional dielectric cladding. In a preferred embodiment, the interface is formed between a semiconductor layer and a metal layer. The complex refractive index of the metal layer preferably has an imaginary component which is much larger than its real component. In an illustrative embodiment, our laser includes a QC active region sandwiched between a pair of cladding regions one of which is a guiding interface based on surface plasmons and the other of which is a dielectric (e.g., semiconductor) structure.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.