Monolithic Oxide-Confined Multiple-Wavelength Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Arrays with a 57-nm Wavelength Grading Range using an Oxidized Upper Bragg Mirror

Monolithic, oxide-confined, multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser arrays with a very large periodic, wavelength grading span of 57 nm (from 968 to 1025 nm) have been achieved under room temperature, continuous-wave operation, with threshold currents of 4.5 mA/spl plusmn/1.5 mA. Almost linear wavelength grading is achieved by organometallic vapor phase epitaxial growth on a patterned substrate. An extended wavelength range is achieved by minimizing the optical loss dispersion by scaling the growth rate of all the epilayers and using a selectively-oxidized upper DBR mirror with a flattened optical reflectance spectrum, plus the higher differential optical gain provided by compressively-strained In/sub 0.2/Ga/sub 0.8/As-GaAs quantum wells