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.

A first conduction type first cladding layer and a second conduction type second cladding layer are arranged on the two sides in the vertical direction of a core portion having a multiple quantum-well structure, and a first conduction type third cladding layer and a second conduction type fourth cladding layer are arranged on the two sides in the horizontal direction of the core portion. A first electrode connected to the third cladding layer is formed. A second electrode connected to the fourth cladding layer is formed. A reverse bias is applied between the first and third cladding layers and the second and fourth cladding layers.

A semiconductor laser is provided with: an active layer that excites a transverse electric (TE) mode and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode of light and constitutes at least a part of a resonator guiding the TE mode and the TM mode of light; and a diffraction grating as a frequency difference setting structure that sets the difference in oscillation frequency between the TE mode and the TM mode of light higher than a relaxation-oscillation frequency

A semiconductor laser source including a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, this interferometer including first and second arms. Each of the arms is divided into a plurality of consecutive sections, the effective index of each section located immediately after a preceding section being different from the effective index of this preceding section. The lengths of the various sections meet the following condition: $\underset{n=1}{\overset{N_2}{.Math.}}{L}_{2,n}{\mathrm{neff}}_{2,n}-\underset{n=1}{\overset{N_1}{.Math.}}{L}_{1,n}{\mathrm{neff}}_{1,n}=k_f{\lambda }_{\mathrm{Si}}$
where: k.sub.f is a preset integer number higher than or equal to 1, N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 are the numbers of sections in the first and second arms, respectively, L.sub.1,n and L.sub.2,n are the lengths of the nth sections of the first and second arms, respectively, neff.sub.1,n and neff.sub.2,n are the effective indices of the nth sections of the first and second arms, respectively. The first and second arms each comprise a gain-generating section.

The present application is provided with: a ridge laminated with a first conductivity type cladding layer, an active layer, and a second conductivity type first cladding layer in order and having a top portion formed to be flat; a first buried layer buried on both side areas of the ridge; a second buried layer covering the first buried layer and protruding toward the center of the ridge and toward a top portion of the ridge to form an opening formed by protruding portions facing each other; and a second conductivity type second cladding layer buried on the second buried layer and in the opening, wherein a surface of the second buried layer on a side to the top portion of the ridge is formed so as to fit within a surface of the second conductivity type first cladding layer.

A semiconductor layer structure may include a substrate, a buffer layer formed on the substrate, and a set of epitaxial layers formed on the buffer layer. The buffer layer may have a thickness that is greater than 2 micrometers (μm). The set of epitaxial layers may include a quantum well layer. A quantum well intermixing region may be formed in association with the quantum well layer and a material diffused from a region of a surface of the semiconductor layer structure.

A portable lighting apparatus is provided with a gallium-and-nitrogen containing laser diode based white light source combined with an infrared illumination source which are driven by drivers disposed in a printed circuit board assembly enclosed in a compact housing and powered by a portable power supply therein. The portable lighting apparatus includes a first wavelength converter configured to output a white-color emission and an infrared emission. A beam shaper may be configured to direct the white-color emission and the infrared emission to a front aperture of a compact housing of the portable lighting apparatus. An optical transmitting unit is configured to project or transmit a directional light beam of the white light emission and/or the infrared emission for illuminating a target of interest, transmitting a pulsed sensing signal or modulated data signal generated by the drivers therein. In some configurations, detectors are included for depth sensing and visible/infrared light communications.

What is provided here are: a step of forming a first semiconductor layer on a base member; a step of forming a mask on the first semiconductor layer; a step of etching the first semiconductor layer by using the mask, to thereby form a semiconductor structure; a step of forming a second semiconductor layer in a region abutting on a side surface of the semiconductor structure, said second semiconductor layer having a convex portion abutting to the mask; a convex-portion removing step of removing the convex portion by supplying an etching gas thereto; and a regrown-layer forming step of supplying a material gas onto the semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor layer, to thereby form a regrown layer; wherein the convex-portion removing step and the regrown-layer forming step are executed in a same manufacturing apparatus.

A laser diode includes a semiconductor structure having an n-type layer, an active region, and a p-type layer. One of the n-type and p-type layers includes a lasing aperture thereon having an optical axis oriented perpendicular to a surface of the active region between the n-type and p-type layers. First and second contacts are electrically connected to the n-type and p-type layers, respectively. The first and/or second contacts are smaller than the lasing aperture in at least one dimension. Related arrays and methods of fabrication are also discussed.

A laser array includes a plurality of laser emitters arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns on a substrate that is non-native to the plurality of laser emitters, and a plurality of driver transistors on the substrate adjacent one or more of the laser diodes. A subset of the plurality of laser emitters includes a string of laser emitters that are connected such that an anode of at least one laser emitter of the subset is connected to a cathode of an adjacent laser emitter of the subset. A driver transistor of the plurality of driver transistors is configured to control a current flowing through the string.