An apparatus comprises an array of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) on a first substrate and an array of detectors on a second substrate, the detectors being configured to detect laser beams emitted by the VCSELs and backscattered by an object, wherein the first substrate is mounted to the second substrate and is configured to allow the laser beams emitted by the VCSELs and backscattered by the object to transmit through the first substrate and reach the detectors.

A widely tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) having a semiconductor cavity followed by an air-gap over which is a movable reflector. Lasing wavelength is controlled by a combination of the resonance of the semiconductor cavity, which is fixed, and the resonance of the air cavity, which can be changed by moving the reflector. Tuning range and slope of the VCSEL are increased by configuring the semiconductor cavity to be antiresonant at the center of the tuning range, which forces electromagnetic energy to be confined more strongly in the air gap than in the semiconductor, thus making emission wavelength more sensitive to the displacement of the tuning mirror.

A high-contrast grating (HCG) structure and method of fabrication. The grating of the HCG is formed over a structural spacer layer, allowing a wider range of grating patterns, such as post and other forms which are lack structural support when fabricated over an air spacing beneath the grating elements. The technique involves etching the HCG grating, followed by oxidizing through this HCG grating into an oxide spacer layer beneath it creating a low-index area beneath the grating. This form of HCG reflector can be utilizes as upper and/or lower reflectors in fabricating vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs).

Provided is a laser device according to embodiments of the inventive concept comprising a substrate including a gain region, a phase control region, and a tuning region arranged along a first direction, the substrate having an air gap which extends from the phase control region to the tuning region, an upper clad layer on the substrate, a waveguide structure extending in the first direction between the upper clad layer and the substrate, a first upper electrode disposed on the upper surface of the upper clad layer of the tuning region, and a lower electrode disposed on a lower surface of the substrate and extending from the gain region to the tuning region, wherein the air gap may have a larger width than the waveguide in a second direction crossing the first direction.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) structures are described which enable their use as widely wavelength-swept coherent light sources and multiple-wavelength VCSEL arrays. Three general configurations are described: (a) a semiconductor-cavity-dominant (SCD) with high reflection at the semiconductor-air interface, (b) an extended-cavity (EC) design in which reflections at the semiconductor-air interface is reduced to insignificance compared to the SCD design with a refractive index-matched layer (i.e., AR layer) so the entire structure resonates as one cavity, and (c) an air-cavity-dominant (ACD) design which facilitates a larger field confinement in the air gap, and the increased field confinement causes the air gap to be the dominant cavity.

The subject invention includes a semiconductor laser with the laser having a DBR mirror on a substrate, a quantum well on the DBR mirror, and an interior CGH with a back propagated output for emitting a large sized Gaussian and encircling high energy. The DBR mirror has a plurality of GaAs/AlGaAs layers, while the quantum well is composed of AlGaAs/InGaAs. The CGH is composed of AlGaAs.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) may include an active region (e.g., one or more quantum wells) and a chirped pattern reflector. The active region may be configured to be electrically pumped such that the active region generates light having a fundamental mode and a higher order mode. The chirped pattern reflector may include a first portion presenting to the active region as a first portion of an effective mirror having a concave shape and a second portion presenting to the active region as a second portion of the effective mirror having a convex shape.

The embodiment relates to a semiconductor light-emitting device comprising a semiconductor substrate, a first cladding layer, an active layer, a second cladding layer, a contact layer, and a phase modulation layer located between the first cladding and active layers or between the active and second cladding layers. The phase modulation layer comprises a basic layer and plural first modified refractive index regions different from the basic layer in a refractive index. In a virtual square lattice set on the phase modulation layer such that the modified refractive index region is allocated in each of unit constituent regions constituting square lattices, the modified refractive index region is arranged to allow its gravity center position to be separated from the lattice point of the corresponding unit constituent region, and to have a rotation angle about the lattice point according a desired optical image.

III-V lasers integrated with silicon photonic circuits and methods for making the same include a three-layer semiconductor stack formed from III-V semiconductors on a substrate, where a middle layer has a lower bandgap than a top layer and a bottom layer; a mirror region monolithically formed at a first end of the stack, configured to reflect emitted light in the direction of the stack; and a waveguide region monolithically formed at a second end of the stack, configured to transmit emitted light.

III-V lasers integrated with silicon photonic circuits and methods for making the same include a three-layer semiconductor stack formed from III-V semiconductors on a substrate, where a middle layer has a lower bandgap than a top layer and a bottom layer; a mirror region monolithically formed at a first end of the stack, configured to reflect emitted light in the direction of the stack; and a waveguide region monolithically formed at a second end of the stack, configured to transmit emitted light.