Tunable external-cavity semiconductor laser using monolithically integrated tapered amplifier and grating coupler for collimation

A novel lensless tunable external-cavity laser using monolithically integrated tapered amplifier, grating coupler (GC) and an external half mirror is proposed and demonstrated. It can be fabricated by a simple process and emits a collimated output beam. By making use of wavelength dispersion of the GC, the lasing wavelength can be angle tuned. Wavelength tuning over a wide range of 21.5 nm by 4.5/spl deg/ device rotation and an 84-mW output power were achieved under continuous-wave operation. A well-collimated output beam with a divergence angle as small as 0.3/spl deg/ was maintained over the entire tuning range.

[1]  David G. Mehuys,et al.  5W, diffraction-limited, tapered-stripe unstable resonator semiconductor laser , 1994 .

[2]  D.F. Welch,et al.  Electronically tunable, 1-W CW, near-diffraction-limited monolithic flared amplifier-master oscillator power amplifier (MFA-MOPA) , 1994, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[3]  Anders Larsson,et al.  Grating-coupled surface-emitting laser with a hyperbolic unstable-resonator producing a stable focused output beam , 1999, 1999 IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting Conference Proceedings. LEOS'99. 12th Annual Meeting. IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society 1999 Annual Meeting (Cat. No.99CH37009).

[4]  D. Welch,et al.  Operating characteristics of a high-power monolithically integrated flared amplifier master oscillator power amplifier , 1993 .

[5]  Hiroshi Nishihara,et al.  Integration of Detection Optics for Magnetooptical Disk Pickup , 1990 .

[6]  D. Welch,et al.  Numerical analysis of flared semiconductor laser amplifiers , 1993 .

[7]  Hiroshi Nishihara,et al.  Monolithically Integrated Master Oscillator Power Amplifier with Grating Coupler for Collimated Output Beam , 2000 .

[8]  Anders Larsson,et al.  Highly directional grating outcouplers with tailorable radiation characteristics , 1996 .

[9]  Toshiaki Suhara,et al.  InGaAs/AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflector lasers with curved surface gratings for monolithic integration , 1997 .

[10]  Misuzu Sagawa,et al.  High-power and highly reliable operation of Al-Free InGaAs-InGaAsP 0.98-/spl mu/m lasers with a window structure fabricated by Si ion implantation , 1999 .

[11]  R. Bedford,et al.  Tunable grating coupled surface-emitting tapered laser , 1999, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.