A spectroscopic laser sensor based on hybrid III-V/IV system-on-a-chip technology. The laser sensor is configured to either (i) be used with a fiber-optic probe connected to an intravenous/intra-arterial optical catheter for direct invasive blood analyte concentration level measurement or (ii) be used to measure blood analyte concentration level non-invasively through an optical interface attached, e.g., to the skin or fingernail bed of a human. The sensor includes a III-V gain-chip, e.g., an AIGalnAsSb/GaSb based gain-chip, and a photonic integrated circuit, with laser wavelength filtering, laser wavelength tuning, laser wavelength monitoring, laser signal monitoring and signal output sections realized on a chip by combining IV-based semiconductor substrates and flip-chip AIGal-nAsSb/GaSb based photodetectors and embedded electronics for signal processing. Embodiments of the invention may be applied for real-time monitoring of critical blood analyte concentration levels such as lactates, urea, glucose, ammonia, albumin, etc.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide ultra-compact highly-integrated diffraction-grating semiconductor lasers on chips. Various embodiments combined enable the lasers to be compact in size, light weight, mechanically rugged, low in manufacturing cost, and in some cases high in electrical wall-plugged power efficiency or high in optical power output, comparing to typical lasers based on discrete optical components.

A wavelength filter includes a first filter circuit and a second filter circuit. The first filter circuit that has a passband that is obtained from a vernier effect by connecting, in series, a plurality of ring resonators each having a different transmission wavelength interval and that is within a gain band of an optical amplifier, and that passes, from the gain band, light at a selected wavelength and light that has a wavelength in a recursive mode and that is produced on a short wavelength side or a long wavelength side of the selected wavelength. The second filter circuit is connected to the first filter circuit in series and suppresses the light at the wavelength in the recursive mode from the light passing through the first filter circuit.

A novel, monolithically integrated mid-IR optical phased array (OPA) structure which eliminates the wafer bonding process to achieve highly efficient surface emitting optical beam steering in two dimensions is disclosed. Since solar energy is about 15-20 times smaller than that at 1.55 um, mid-IR is more favorable for the atmospheric transmission due to lower solar radiance backgrounds. For the beam steering, thermo-optic phase shifting is used for azimuthal plane beam steering and laser wavelength tuning is used for elevation plane beam steering. The OPA structure disclosed comprises a wavelength- tunable a QCL, a 1×32 splitter, thermo-optic phase-shifters, and sub-wavelength grating emitters. The disclosed OPA provides a low-cost, low-loss, low-power consumption, robust, small footprint, apparatus that may be used with expendable UAV swarms. A LiDAR may be created by monolithically integrating a QCD with the apparatus. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

An optical waveguide structure includes a lower cladding layer positioned on a substrate; an optical guide layer positioned on the lower cladding layer; an upper cladding layer positioned on the optical guide layer; and a heater positioned on the upper cladding layer. The lower cladding layer, the optical guide layer, and the upper cladding layer constitute a mesa structure. The optical guide layer has a lower thermal conductivity than the upper cladding layer. An equation “W.sub.wg≤W.sub.mesa≤3×W.sub.wg” is satisfied, wherein W.sub.mesa represents a mesa width of the mesa structure, and W.sub.wg represents a width of the optical guide layer. The optical guide layer occupies one-third or more of the mesa width in a width direction of the mesa structure.

The invention relates to a process for fabricating a semiconductor diode (1) via transfer of a semiconductor stack (20) then local etching to form a semiconductor pad (30), the production of the semiconductor pad (30) comprising a plurality of sequences comprising a dry etch that leaves a residual segment (23.1; 22.1), formation of a hard-mask spacer (42.1; 43.1), then a wet etch of the residual segment (23.1; 22.1).

A Distributed Feedback Laser (DFB) mounted on a Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuit (Si PIC), the DFB having a longitudinal length which extends from a first end of the DFB laser to a second end of the DFB laser, the DFB laser comprising: an epi stack, the epi stack comprising: one or more active material layers; a layer comprising a partial grating, the partial grating extending from the second end of the DFB laser, only partially along the longitudinal length of the DFB laser such that it does not extend to the first end of the DFB laser; a highly reflective medium located at the first end of the DFB laser; and a back facet located at the second end of the DFB laser.

A laser system for generating a narrow linewidth semiconductor light beam includes a substrate, a gain chip affixed on the substrate and configured to amplify light beam, and an optical feedback photonic chip affixed on the substrate, optically coupled to the gain chip, and configured to output light beam, which has a narrow linewidth around a resonant frequency of the optical feedback photonic chip, to the gain chip.

Described herein are IC devices that include hybrid lasers formed with a bonding layer. Hybrid lasers include an active light-emitting region coupled to a waveguide. In a hybrid laser, the waveguide and the light-emitting regions are formed separately from different materials, e.g., the waveguide is a single-crystal silicon, and the light-emitting region includes III-V semiconductors. An amorphous group IV material, such as silicon or germanium, is advantageously used to bond the light-emitting region to the waveguide.

A single-mode micro-laser based on a single whispering gallery mode optical microcavity and a preparation method thereof described includes: preparing a desired single whispering gallery mode optical microcavity doped with rare earth ions or containing a gain material such as quantum dots, wherein an optical microcavity configuration include a micro-disk cavity, a ring-shaped microcavity, and a racetrack-shaped microcavity; a material type include lithium niobate, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, etc.; preparing an optical fiber cone or an optical waveguide of a required size which can excite high-order modes of the optical microcavity, such as a ridge waveguide and a circular waveguides; and coupling, integrating, and packaging the optical fiber cone or the optical waveguide with the microcavity. A pump light is coupled to the optical fiber cone or the optical waveguide to excite a compound mode with a polygonal configuration.