Tunable semiconductor lasers

US9337617B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma · US

Inventors

• Rui Yang · Jiaocheng District, CN
• Zhaobing Tian · Albuquerque, US
• Lu Li · Beijing, CN
• Michael B. Santos · Norman, US
• Matthew B. Johnson · Norman, US
• Yuchao Jiang · Norman, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 24, 2015
• Grant date: May 10, 2016
• Expiry date: Feb 24, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/34306
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A tunable semiconductor laser having, in one embodiment, a higher bias voltage end, a lower bias voltage end, and an optically active gain region comprising a band-gap configured to emit light at an emission wavelength that is tunable when an electric field is generated across the optically active gain region by applying a bias voltage thereto, an electron quantum well (QW) layer positioned closer to the higher bias voltage end than the lower voltage bias end, and a hole QW layer positioned closer to the lower bias voltage end than the higher bias voltage end and comprising a type-II band alignment with the electron QW layer such that the band-gap is determined by an energy difference between a ground electron state in the electron QW layer and a ground hole state in the hole QW layer, wherein the emission wavelength is redshifted upon an increase in a bias voltage applied to the optically active gain region.