Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to the use of precise etching techniques in the construction of high quality lasers. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, Focused Ion Beam Etching (FIBE) of a semiconductor stripe in a multi-mode edge-emitting Fabry-Perot (FP) laser may allow the rapid and effective fabrication of a single mode laser and/or a surface emitting laser. The use of FIBE or other precise etching techniques allows precise control over the dimension, angle, and orientation of etched features, and offers extremely smooth surfaces that reduce optical loss in the resulting device.

Abstract: A continuous monolithic QW layer of an edge-emitting semiconductor laser includes a passivated window section adjacent each facet and an active section between the two window sections. The thickness of each QW layer in the window section is sufficiently less than the corresponding thickness in the active section to cause the window section to be non-absorptive to any laser emissions in the vicinity of the facet mirror. The QWs in both the window section and the active section are preferably formed in a single metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth step without any disturbance in the layer continuity.

Abstract: Locally heated low temperature solder glass is used to permanently fix an optical fiber with sub-micron precision to a glass ceramic submount inside a high power pump laser module. The fiber is manipulated into a predetermined alignment while the solder glass is still molten and the solder glass is then cooled to its solidified state. The predetermined alignment may include an offset to compensate for subsequent thermally related dimensional changes as the solder glass cools and solidifies. If necessary, the solder glass can be remelted and the fiber realigned with a different offset if the first alignment attempt is less than optimal. This alignment process has been demonstrated to provide reliable and efficient coupling of an optical fiber to a high power pump laser within very tight tolerances. A similar process can also be applied to other micro-optics assemblies where high precision, high reliability fiber fixing is required.