Rugate filter on grating coupled surface emitting laser array

• US 5,109,386 A
• Filed: 09/10/1990
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tacan Corporation (IPITEK, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tacan Corporation (IPITEK, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bradley, Eric M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davie, James W.
• Application Number:
  US07/579,597
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 372/45, 372/49, 372/96, 372/50, 372/29, 372/31, 372/32
• US Class Current: 372/32
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/289 Rugate filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/187 using Bragg reflection
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/42 Arrays of surface emitting lasers

Abstract

A glass film is deposited over the second order grating of a grating coupled surface emitting laser. The glass film has a continuously varying refractive index with thickness, usually in the form of or similar to a sine wave. The rugate filter is assembled to overlie the second order grating of the laser so that a peak wavelength λ_p is reflected back into the second order grating which couples the light into the laser. Be reflecting light at the peak wavelength back into the laser, the laser is caused to emit at the desired wavelength. Since the rugate filter selectively reflects light within a narrow band of the desired wavelength, the laser emits light within the same narrow band. The use of a surface emitting laser facilitates summing of the output light of several adjacent lasers within a monolithic array to provide high power output.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a filter for temperature stabilized emission at a desired wavelength by a surface emitting laser having an active region and at least one second order grating for vertical emission adjacent to said active region, said filter comprising:

a dielectric film having an average refractive index deposited on each said second order grating, said average refractive index having a periodic variation comprising an alternating higher and lower refractive index, said periodic variation having a period where said desired wavelength is a function of said period, said dielectric film having sufficient thickness to cover a plurality of periods whereby said dielectric film selectively reflects light of said desired wavelength back into said second order grating which deflects said reflected light into said active region causing said laser to emit light at said desired wavelength.

2. A filter as in claim 1 wherein each period of said plurality comprises an approximately sinusoidal period.

3. A filter as in claim 1 wherein said film comprises a co-deposited layer of dielectrics having approximately equal and opposite index-temperature coefficients.

4. A filter as in claim 1 wherein said average refractive index is periodically varied by varying during deposition the concentration of a higher refractive index dielectric in a sinusoidal manner having a period equal to that desired for said dielectric film.

5. A filter as in claim 3 wherein said film generally comprises (SiO₂)_x (Ta₂ O₅)_1-x.

6. A filter as in claim 4 wherein said higher refractive index dielectric is Ta₂ O₅ and said average refractive index is varied by varying a ratio of SiO₂ to Ta₂ O₅.

7. A filter as in claim 5 wherein said film is deposited by ion-assisted deposition.