Embodiments of the present invention include an apparatus for generating laser radiation with a semiconductor substrate, an intermediate layer arranged on the semiconductor substrate, and a Lateral Current Injection (LCI) laser arrangement arranged on the intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer includes a cavity extending at least under a laser strip of the LCI laser arrangement.

An optoelectronic semiconductor device is disclosed wherein the device is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser or a photodiode containing a section, the top part of which is electrically isolated from the rest of the device. The electric isolation can be realized by etching a set of holes and selective oxidation of AlGaAs layer or layers such that the oxide forms a continuous layer or layers everywhere beneath the top surface of this section. Alternatively, a device can be grown epitaxially on a semi-insulating substrate, and a round trench around a section of the device can be etched down to the semi-insulating substrate thus isolating this section electrically from the rest of the device. Then if top contact pads are deposited on top of the electrically isolated section, the pads have a low capacitance, and a pad capacitance below two hundred femto-Farads, and the total capacitance of the device below three hundred femto-Farads can be reached.

An emitter may include a substrate, a conductive layer on at least a bottom surface of a trench, and a first metal layer to provide a first electrical contact of the emitter on an epitaxial side of the substrate. The first metal layer may be within the trench such that the first metal layer contacts the conductive layer within the trench. The emitter may further include a second metal layer to provide a second electrical contact of the emitter on the epitaxial side of the substrate, and an isolation implant to block lateral current flow between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes a semi-insulating substrate having a major surface including a first area and a second area, an n-type semiconductor layer that is provided on the first area and unprovided on the second area, a semiconductor laminate that is provided on the n-type semiconductor layer, a cathode electrode that is connected to the n-type semiconductor layer, an anode electrode that is connected to a top surface of the semiconductor laminate, and a first conductor that is connected to the anode electrode and extends from the first area to the second area. The semiconductor laminate includes a first distributed Bragg reflector provided on the n-type semiconductor layer, an active layer provided on the first distributed Bragg reflector, and a second distributed Bragg reflector provided on the active layer. The first conductor includes an anode electrode pad provided on the second area.

Electro-absorption modulators (EAM) and monolithically integrated electro-absorption modulated lasers (EML) and methods of fabrication are disclosed. Vertically stacked waveguides for a distributed feedback (DFB) laser, an electro-absorption modulator (EAM) and a passive output waveguide are vertically integrated, and the DFB laser, EAM and output waveguide are optically coupled using laterally tapered vertical optical couplers. Laterally tapered vertical optical couplers provides an alternative to conventional butt-coupling of a laser and EAM, offering improved reliability for high power operation over extended lifetimes. Optionally, the EML comprises monolithically integrated electronic circuitry, e.g., driver and control electronics for the DFB laser and EAM. Beneficially, integrated EAM driver and control circuitry comprises a high-speed electro-optical control loop for very high-speed linearization and temperature compensation, e.g. to enable advanced modulation schemes, such as PAM-4 and DP-QPSK, for analog optical data center interconnect applications. Some embodiments are compatible with fabrication using a single epitaxial growth.

An optical device includes: a first reflector; a second reflector facing the reflector; a light emitter between the first reflector and the second reflector; a base supporting the second reflector with space between the light emitter and the second reflector; a piezoelectric body configured to, in response to application of drive voltage, deform to cause the second region to deform to drive the second reflector so as to change a distance between the first reflector and the second reflector. The base has a first region and a second region having a lower stiffness than the first region. The second region has the second reflector and the piezoelectric body thereon. The optical device is configured to emit a laser beam whose wavelength is changeable with the distance between the first reflector and the second reflector.

A semiconductor optical integrated device comprises a semiconductor amplifier and a plurality of semiconductor lasers, wherein the semiconductor amplifier and the semiconductor lasers are monolithically integrated on a semiconductor substrate, an n-side cladding layer of the semiconductor amplifier and an n-side cladding layer of each of the semiconductor lasers are electrically insulated by an insulating layer formed between the semiconductor substrate and the n-side cladding layer of the semiconductor lasers and an insulating layer formed between the n-side cladding layer of the semiconductor amplifier and the n-side cladding layer of the semiconductor lasers, the n-side cladding layer of the semiconductor lasers and the p-side cladding layer of the semiconductor amplifier is configured to be electrically connected, and the semiconductor amplifier and each semiconductor laser of the plurality of semiconductor lasers are electrically connected in series.

Semiconductor laser architectures that provide weak index guiding of interband cascade lasers (ICLs) processed on a native III-V substrate and of ICLs grown on GaAs or integrated on GaAs by heterogeneous bonding. Weak index guiding of a ridge waveguide semiconductor laser can enhance the stability of lasing in the fundamental lateral mode, so as to allow a wider ridge to maintain stable single-lateral-mode operation.

A vertical cavity surface-emitting laser epitaxial structure having a current spreading layer is disclosed. The vertical cavity surface-emitting laser epitaxial structure includes a substrate, a first epitaxial region on the substrate, an active region on the first epitaxial region, and a current spreading layer disposed in the first epitaxial region. The current spreading layer includes an N-type dopant, and the N-type dopant is selected from a group consisting of Si, Se, and the combination thereof. The current spreading layer does not directly contact the active region.

A device includes a substrate, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array on top of the substrate, a via through the substrate and the VCSEL array, a first electrode extended from a top of the VCSEL array to a bottom of the substrate, through the via, the first electrode electrically connected to the VCSEL array, a second electrode on the bottom of the substrate, the second electrode electrically connected to the VCSEL array, and an isolator in the via providing electrical isolation between the first electrode and the second electrode.