A laser array includes a plurality of laser diodes arranged and electrically connected to one another on a surface of a non-native substrate. Respective laser diodes of the plurality of laser diodes have different orientations relative to one another on the surface of the non-native substrate. The respective laser diodes are configured to provide coherent light emission in different directions, and the laser array is configured to emit an incoherent output beam comprising the coherent light emission from the respective laser diodes. The output beam may include incoherent light having a non-uniform intensity distribution over a field of view of the laser array. Related devices and fabrication methods are also discussed.

An optoelectronic device includes a semiconductor substrate having first and second faces. An emitter is disposed on the first face of the semiconductor substrate and is configured to emit a beam of radiation through the substrate. At least one curved optical surface is formed in the second face of the semiconductor substrate. A first reflector is disposed on the first face in proximity to the emitter, and a second reflector is disposed on the second face in proximity to the curved optical surface, such that the second reflector reflects the beam that was emitted through the semiconductor substrate by the emitter to reflect back through the semiconductor substrate toward the first reflector, which then reflects the beam to pass through the semiconductor substrate so as to exit from the semiconductor substrate through the curved optical surface.

An optical semiconductor device of the present disclosure comprises: a ridge structure formed on a first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate; a buried layer buried on both side surfaces of the ridge structure; a second-conductivity-type second cladding layer and a second-conductivity-type contact layer laminated on the top of the ridge structure and the surface of the buried layer; a stripe-shaped mesa structure formed of a mesa reaching from the second-conductivity-type contact layer to the first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate; a heat dissipation layer formed on the surface of the second-conductivity-type contact layer; a mesa protective film covering both side surfaces of the mesa structure and both end portions of the surface of the second-conductivity-type contact layer; and a second-conductivity-type-side electrode electrically connected to the second-conductivity-type contact layer.

A layout for a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is provided. In an example embodiment, the layout comprises a VCSEL, an etched shape around a mesa of the VCSEL, a signal contact layer deposited on section of the mesa, and a ground contact layer. The ground contact layer comprises three parts and is positioned around a first section of the etched shape. The first part of the ground contact layer is deposited on a second section of the etched shape. The second and third parts of the ground contact layer comprise two legs off of the first part. The two legs are symmetrically positioned about two sides of the signal contact layer to form a ground-signal-ground configuration.

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is provided. The VCSEL includes a mesa structure disposed on a substrate. The mesa structure has a first reflector, a second reflector, and an active cavity material structure disposed between the first and second reflectors. The mesa structure defines an optical window through which the VCSEL is configured to emit light. The mesa structure further includes a passivation layer disposed at least within the optical window. The passivation layer is designed to seal the mesa structure to reduce the humidity sensitivity of the VCSEL and to protect the VCSEL from contaminants. The passivation layer also provides an improvement in overshoot control, broader modulation bandwidth, and faster pulsing of the VCSEL such that the VCSEL may provide a high speed, high bandwidth signal with controlled overshoot and dumping behavior.

A semiconductor optical amplifier includes a conductive region that is provided on a substrate and allows light transmission, and a nonconductive region that is provided around the conductive region and prohibits light transmission. The conductive region includes a first region including a light-coupling portion to which light from an external light-source unit is coupled, and a second region having a narrower width than the first region and connected to the first region through a connecting portion, the second region including a light-amplifying portion amplifying the light from the light-coupling portion by propagating the light in a predetermined propagating direction along a surface of the substrate, the light-amplifying portion outputting the amplified light in a direction intersecting the surface of the substrate. Seen in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, the semiconductor optical amplifier includes a portion where a width of the conductive region is continuously reduced from the first region to the second region.

A semiconductor light emitting device includes a substrate, a first epitaxial structure and a second epitaxial structure, a connecting layer, a first electrode structure, a second electrode structure, and a third electrode structure. The first epitaxial structure and the second epitaxial structure are on the substrate side by side. The connecting layer is between the first epitaxial structure and the substrate, between the second epitaxial structure and the substrate, and between the first epitaxial structure and the second epitaxial structure. The first electrode structure is on the first epitaxial structure away from the substrate. The second electrode structure is on the second epitaxial structure away from the substrate. The third electrode structure is connected to the connecting layer.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of fabricating at least one radiation emitter comprising the steps of depositing an etch stop layer on a top side of a substrate; depositing a layer stack on the etch stop layer, said layer stack comprising a first contact layer, a first reflector, an active region, a second reflector, and a second contact layer; locally removing the layer stack and the etch stop layer, and thereby forming at least one mesa, said at least one mesa comprising an unremoved section of the etch stop layer and a layered pillar which forms a vertical cavity laser structure based on the unremoved layer stack inside the at least one mesa; depositing a protection material on the top side of the substrate and thereby embedding the entire mesa in the protection material wherein the backside of the substrate remains unprotected; removing the substrate by applying at least one etching chemical that is capable of etching the substrate but incapable or less capable of etching the etch stop layer and the protection material; and removing the etch stop layer and thereby exposing the first contact layer of the at least one layered pillar.

[Object] To provide a light-emitting element that has a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser structure and is suitable for a long-distance light irradiation, and a ranging apparatus.

[Solving Means] A light-emitting element according to the present technology includes a plurality of light emitters, a first electrode terminal, and a second electrode terminal. The plurality of light emitters is a plurality of light emitters one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally arranged in a direction that is vertical to an optical axis corresponding to light that exits each of the plurality of light emitters, each of the plurality of light emitters being a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser element, each of the plurality of light emitters including a first electrode and a second electrode, each of the plurality of light emitters emitting the light due to current flowing from the first electrode to the second electrode. The first electrode terminal is electrically connected to the first electrode. The second electrode terminal is electrically connected to the second electrode. A current path from the first electrode terminal to the second electrode terminal that passes through one of the plurality of light emitters exhibits an electrical resistance different from an electrical resistance of a current path from the first electrode terminal to the second electrode terminal that passes through another of the plurality of light emitters.

A semiconductor optical amplifier includes: a substrate; a light source unit that is formed on the substrate; and an optical amplification unit that includes a conductive region extending, from the light source unit, in a predetermined direction along a surface of the substrate, and a nonconductive region around the conductive region. The optical amplification unit amplifies propagation light that propagates, from the light source unit, in the predetermined direction as slow light, and emits the propagation light that is amplified in an emission direction that intersects with the surface. The maximum optical power of the propagation light is larger than the maximum optical power in a vertical oscillation mode.