Semiconductor lasers with stable higher-order modes parallel to the junction plane

Claim 2

In a semiconductor junction laser, a semiconductor body comprising: at least two contiguous layers forming a planar p-n junction; means forming a current flow path overlapping at least a portion of said p-n junction; an active region within said current flow path for generating stimulated radiation when said p-n junction is forward biased; and an elongated lossy region located in said current flow path and positioned for causing said laser to operate in a particular higher order transverse mode in a direction parallel to said p-n junction.

Claim 3

The laser of claim 1 wherein said lossy region is an optically lossy region.

Claim 4

The laser of claim 1 wherein said lossy region is an electrically lossy region that overlaps a portion of said active region.

Claim 5

The laser of claim 1 wherein said elongated lossy region is located at approximately the center of said current flow path and is effective to suppress the zero order transverse mode in a direction parallel to the p-n junction.

Claim 6

In a semiconductor junction laser, a semiconductor body comprising: a pair of parallel planar heterojunctions defining an optical waveguide therebetween, at least one of said heterojunctions being a p-n junction; means forming a current flow path overlapping at least a portion of said p-n junction, at least a portion of said current flow path being formed by a relatively narrow current flow channel; a stripe geometry active region located within said waveguide and within said current flow path for generating stimulated radiation when said p-n junction is forward biased; and an elongated lossy region located within said current flow path and positioned for causing said laser to operate in a particular higher order transverse mode in a direction parallel to said p-n junction.

Claim 7

In a semiconductor junction laser, a semiconductor body comprising: a pair of parallel planar heterojunctions defining an optical waveguide therebetween, at least one of said heterojunctions being a p-n junction; means forming a current flow path overlapping at least a portion of said p-n junction, at least a portion of said current flow path being formed by a relatively narrow current flow channel; a stripe geometry active region located within said waveguide and within said current flow path for generating stimulated radiation when said p-n junction is forward biased; and an elongated lossy region located within said current flow path and positioned for causing said laser to operate in a particular higher order transverse mode in a direction parallel to said p-n junction.

Claim 8

The laser of claim 5 wherein said current flow channel overlaps said p-n junction, said stripe geometry active region is within said channel, and said lossy region is within said channel.

Claim 9

The laser of claim 6 wherein said elongated lossy region is located at approximately the center of said current flow channel in order to suppress the zero order transverse mode in a direction parallel to said p-n junction, thereby allowing substantially linear operation in the first order transverse mode parallel to said p-n junction.

Claim 10

The laser of claim 6 wherein the semiconductor body comprises Al x Ga 1-x As, 0≦X<1.

Claim 11

The laser of claim 8 wherein the lossy region is a proton bombarded region.

Claim 12

In a semiconductor junction laser a semiconductor body comprising: an n-type GaAs body and a plurality of epitaxial layers grown thereon in the following order, a layer of n-type Al x Ga 1-x As, a layer of p-type Al y Ga 1-y As (y<x) forming a p-n heterojunction with said n-type Al x Ga 1-x As layer, a layer of p-type Al z Ga 1-z As (z>y), a layer of p + -type GaAs; a pair of spaced parallel cleavage surfaces perpendicular to the plane of said layers forming an optical resonator, p1 means defining a current flow channel extending between said cleavage surfaces comprising a pair of spaced proton bombarded zones extending between said cleavage surfaces and from the top of said p + -type GaAs layer into said n-type Al x Ga 1-x As layer, and a stripe geometry active region comprising the portion of said p-type Al y Ga 1-y As layer situated between said proton bombarded zones capable of generating stimulated radiation in a direction parallel to said stripe region when a forward bias is applied to said p-n junction CHARACTERIZED BY: an elongated lossy region extending parallel to said stripe geometry region and centered approximately midway between said proton bombarded zones, effective to suppress the zero order transverse mode parallel to the p-n junction, thereby allowing substantially linear operation in the first order transverse mode parallel to the p-n junction.

Claim 13

In a semiconductor junction laser a semiconductor body comprising: an n-type GaAs body and a plurality of epitaxial layers grown thereon in the following order, a layer of n-type Al x Ga 1-x As, a layer of p-type Al y Ga 1-y As (y<x) forming a p-n heterojunction with said n-type Al x Ga 1-x As layer, a layer of p-type Al z Ga 1-z As (z>y), a layer of p + -type GaAs; a pair of spaced parallel cleavage surfaces perpendicular to the plane of said layers forming an optical resonator, p1 means defining a current flow channel extending between said cleavage surfaces comprising a pair of spaced proton bombarded zones extending between said cleavage surfaces and from the top of said p + -type GaAs layer into said n-type Al x Ga 1-x As layer, and a stripe geometry active region comprising the portion of said p-type Al y Ga 1-y As layer situated between said proton bombarded zones capable of generating stimulated radiation in a direction parallel to said stripe region when a forward bias is applied to said p-n junction CHARACTERIZED BY: an elongated lossy region extending parallel to said stripe geometry region and centered approximately midway between said proton bombarded zones, effective to suppress the zero order transverse mode parallel to the p-n junction, thereby allowing substantially linear operation in the first order transverse mode parallel to the p-n junction.

Claim 14

In a semiconductor junction laser, a semiconductor body comprising: at least two contiguous layers forming a p-n junction; an active region proximate said junction for generating stimulated radiation when said p-n junction is forward biased; and an elongated lossy region located within said body and positioned for causing said laser to operate in a particular higher order transverse mode in a direction parallel to said p-n junction.

Claim 15

In a semiconductor junction laser, a semiconductor body comprising: at least two contiguous layers forming a p-n junction; an active region proximate said junction for generating stimulated radiation when said p-n junction is forward biased; and an elongated lossy region located within said body and positioned for causing said laser to operate in a particular higher order transverse mode in a direction parallel to said p-n junction.