Method for fabricating a set of distributed feedback semiconductor lasers

• US 6,743,648 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Kise, Tomofumi, Funabashi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, W. David
• Application Number:
  US10/167,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20030008426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22, 438/28, 438/478, 372/96, 385/37
• US Class Current: 438/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0201 Separation of the wafer into individual elements, e.g. by dicing, cleaving, etching or directly during growth
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/12 the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers comprising a photonic bandgap structure H01S5/11; surface-emitting lasers H01S5/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1231 Grating growth or overgrowth details
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/227 Buried mesa structure ; Striped active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2275 mesa created by etching

Abstract

A method for forming a set of DFB lasers includes the steps of forming active layers having different peak gain wavelengths, measuring the peak gain wavelengths of the active layers, and forming diffraction gratings having periods based on the measured peak gain wavelengths, the periods allowing the detuning amount of the DFB laser device to fall within a design value.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a plurality of distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser devices on a wafer surface, said DFB semiconductor laser devices including respective active layers having unique emission wavelengths different from one another, said method comprising the steps of:

forming the active layers;

measuring peak gain wavelengths of said active layers formed on said wafer surface;

determining respective periods of diffraction gratings for different portions of said active layers so as to allow detuning amounts of said DFB laser devices to fall within a specified range, based on a distribution of said measured peak gain wavelengths within said wafer surface;

forming diffraction gratings having respective periods; and

forming an embedded layer, wherein said step of forming the respective diffraction gratings is preformed after said step of forming the active layers.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a plurality of compound semiconductor layered structures including respective said active layers, said active layers having peak gain wavelengths which vary on a region by region basis within said wafer surface.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said peak gain wavelengths have a distribution concentric with said wafer surface.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said layered structure forming step uses a selective area growth by MOCVD using a plurality of dielectric masks having different mask widths on a region by region basis.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said layered structure forming step uses a selective area growth by MOCVD using a plurality of dielectric masks having different mask widths in different annular regions, said annular regions being concentric with said wafer surface.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said diffraction gratings forming step forms a diffraction grating layer on said active layers with an intervention of a spacer layer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said diffraction grating forming step uses an electron beam lithography.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said unique emission wavelengths are C-band or L-band wavelengths and have a difference of 30 nm or above between a maximum wavelength and a minimum wavelength of said unique emission wavelengths.