Disclosed herein are embodiments of a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) device that utilizes an external micromirror array, and methods of fabricating and using the same. In one embodiment, a VECSEL device includes a gain chip, a mirror, and a micromirror array. The gain chip includes a gain medium. The micromirror array includes a plurality of curved micromirrors. The micromirror array and the mirror define an optical cavity, and the micromirror array is oriented such that at least one of the curved micromirrors is to reflect light generated by the gain medium back toward the gain medium along a length of the optical cavity.

Disclosed is a semiconductor laser device assembly including a semiconductor laser device; and a dispersion compensation optical system, where a laser light exited from the semiconductor laser device is incident and exits to control a group velocity dispersion value of the laser light exited from the semiconductor laser device per wavelength.

Exemplary apparatus and method are provided. In particular, an electromagnetic radiation can be emitted with, e.g. a light source arrangement. For example, the light source arrangement can include a cavity and a filter, and a spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation can be controlled, e.g., with such cavity and filter, to have a mean frequency that changes (i) at an absolute rate that is greater than about 100 terahertz per millisecond, and (ii) over a range that is greater than about 10 terahertz. Additionally or alternatively, the light source arrangement can include a frequency shifting device which can shift the mean frequency of the electromagnetic radiation.

A front facet of the semiconductor laser device includes a resonator facet portion containing an end of an active layer, and a protruding portion which protrudes beyond the resonator facet portion in a resonator length direction by a predetermined protrusion amount and has a stepped bottom surface portion. The resonator facet portion and the stepped bottom surface portion are connected to each other to form a corner portion. The distance from a thickness center position of the active layer to the stepped bottom surface portion is defined by a bottom surface portion depth. The bottom surface portion depth is set to be equal to a predetermined specific depth or deeper than the specific depth.

Coupled-cavity vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are provided by the present disclosure. The coupled-cavity VCSEL can comprise a VCSEL having a first mirror, a gain medium disposed above the first mirror, and a second mirror disposed above the gain medium, wherein a first cavity is formed by the first mirror and the second mirror. A second cavity is optically coupled to the VCSEL and configured to reflect light emitted from the VCSEL back into the first cavity of the VCSEL. In some embodiments, the second cavity can be an external cavity optically coupled to the VCSEL through a coupling component. In some embodiments, the second cavity can be integrated with the VCSEL to form a monolithic coupled-cavity VCSEL. A feedback circuit can control operation of the coupled-cavity VCSEL so the output comprises a target high frequency signal.

Building blocks are provided for on-chip chemical sensors and other highly-compact photonic integrated circuits combining interband or quantum cascade lasers and detectors with passive waveguides and other components integrated on a III-V or silicon. A MWIR or LWIR laser source is evanescently coupled into a passive extended or resonant-cavity waveguide that provides evanescent coupling to a sample gas (or liquid) for spectroscopic chemical sensing. In the case of an ICL, the uppermost layer of this passive waveguide has a relatively high index of refraction that enables it to form the core of the waveguide, while the ambient air, consisting of the sample gas, functions as the top cladding layer. A fraction of the propagating light beam is absorbed by the sample gas if it contains a chemical species having a fingerprint absorption feature within the spectral linewidth of the laser emission.

A tunable laser device based on silicon photonics includes a substrate configured with a patterned region comprising one or more vertical stoppers, an edge stopper facing a first direction, a first alignment feature structure formed in the patterned region along the first direction, and a bond pad disposed between the vertical stoppers. Additionally, the tunable laser includes an integrated coupler built in the substrate located at the edge stopper and a laser diode chip including a gain region covered by a P-type electrode and a second alignment feature structure formed beyond the P-type electrode. The laser diode chip is flipped to rest against the one or more vertical stoppers with the P-type electrode attached to the bond pad and the gain region coupled to the integrated coupler. Moreover, the tunable laser includes a tuning filter fabricated in the substrate and coupled via a wire waveguide to the integrated coupler.

An optical apparatus comprises a semiconductor substrate and an optical waveguide emitter. The optical waveguide emitter comprises an input waveguide section extending from a facet of the semiconductor substrate, a turning waveguide section optically coupled with the input waveguide section, and an output waveguide section extending to the same facet and optically coupled with the turning waveguide section. One or more of the input waveguide section, the turning waveguide section, and the output waveguide section comprises an optically active region.

Building blocks are provided for on-chip chemical sensors and other highly-compact photonic integrated circuits combining interband or quantum cascade lasers and detectors with passive waveguides and other components integrated on a III-V or silicon. A MWIR or LWIR laser source is evanescently coupled into a passive extended or resonant-cavity waveguide that provides evanescent coupling to a sample gas (or liquid) for spectroscopic chemical sensing. In the case of an ICL, the uppermost layer of this passive waveguide has a relatively high index of refraction that enables it to form the core of the waveguide, while the ambient air, consisting of the sample gas, functions as the top cladding layer. A fraction of the propagating light beam is absorbed by the sample gas if it contains a chemical species having a fingerprint absorption feature within the spectral linewidth of the laser emission.

Building blocks are provided for on-chip chemical sensors and other highly-compact photonic integrated circuits combining interband or quantum cascade lasers and detectors with passive waveguides and other components integrated on a III-V or silicon. A MWIR or LWIR laser source is evanescently coupled into a passive extended or resonant-cavity waveguide that provides evanescent coupling to a sample gas (or liquid) for spectroscopic chemical sensing. In the case of an ICL, the uppermost layer of this passive waveguide has a relatively high index of refraction that enables it to form the core of the waveguide, while the ambient air, consisting of the sample gas, functions as the top cladding layer. A fraction of the propagating light beam is absorbed by the sample gas if it contains a chemical species having a fingerprint absorption feature within the spectral linewidth of the laser emission.