Full aperture semiconductor laser

Claim 1

A semiconductor laser array, comprising: (a) a substrate having a plurality of striped channels defined by corrugations in the substrate; (b) a plurality of semiconductor layers deposited on an absorbing GaAs buffer layer deposited on the substrate in a longitudinal direction wherein at least one active region is defined between n-type and p-type confinement layers, the active region and the confinement layers being positioned between n-type and p-type cladding layers; (c) the plurality of semiconductor layers having a p-n junction therein transverse to the direction of the active layer wherein radiation is produced in the active layer when electric current is produced across the p-n junction; (d) electrical means for producing an electrical current across the p-n junction; and (e) the striped channels having a depth profile wherein the corrugations divide the plurality of semiconductor layers into a plurality of laser emitters on the substrate in the longitudinal direction such that an active region for an individual emitter is aligned with an absorbing GaAs buffer layer or a metalization on either side to prevent coupling between alternative emitters.