Semiconductor laser with a variable oscillation wavelength

• US 4,823,352 A
• Filed: 02/13/1987
• Issued: 04/18/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Mitsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia Y.
• Application Number:
  US07/015,252
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 372/44, 372/45, 372/46, 372/20, 372/50
• US Class Current: 372/45.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06255 Controlling the frequency of the radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3418 using transitions from higher quantum levels
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34313 with a well layer having only As as V-compound, e.g. AlGaAs, InGaAs
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3432 the whole junction comprising only (AI)GaAs

Abstract

An improved semiconductor laser comprises an active region of quantum well, at least two cladding layers positioned at both sides of said active region, and two electrodes provided separately at one side of at least one cladding layer of said at least two cladding layers so that a laser oscillation is produced in a wide wavelength range and high response rate for the reason why the wavelength of a laser oscillation can be changed in wavelengths in the vicinity of transition energy E_ke-HH between n=k electron quantum and n=k heavy hole quantum level (k=1, 2, 3 - - - ) in accordance with the control of current to be injected from one electrode of said two electrodes or voltage to be applied to said one electrode.

Claims

1. A semiconductor laser comprising:

a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type,

at least one a quantum well active layer provided over said first cladding layer,

a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type provided over said at least one active layer,

resonator facets including a pair of planes approximately orthogonal to the layer structure of said first cladding layer, said at least one active layer, and said second cladding layer,

two exclusive electrodes in ohmic contact with said second cladding layer and positioned separately in an axial direction of a resonator composed of said resonator facets, and

a common electrode in ohmic contact with said first cladding layer and facing said exclusive electrodes.

2. A semiconductor laser according to claim 1,

wherein said two electrodes are separated by a high resistance region projecting parallel to said resonator facets formed into said cladding layer.

3. A semiconductor laser according to claim 1,

wherein there are provided at least one guiding layers between each of said quantum well and said first and second cladding layers, respectively.

4. A semiconductor laser according to claim 1, further including means for injecting a control current from at least one electrode od said two exclusive electrodes, such that the transition energy E_ke-HH is selected between n=k electron quantum level and n=k heavy hole quantum level (k=1, 2, 3 . . . ) in producing laser oscillation, where e is an electron level and HH is a heavy hole level.

5. A semiconductor laser according to claim 1, further including means for applying a voltage to at least one electrode od said two exclusive electrodes, such that the transition energy E_ke-HH is selected between n=k electron quantum level and n=k heavy hole quantum level (k=1, 2, 3 . . . ) in producing laser oscillation, where e is an electron level and HH is a heavy hole level.