Abstract: This invention relates to a distributed feedback semiconductor laser which achieves distributed feedback by gain coupling by providing periodical changes in the thickness of the active layer (5) or the absorptive layer, and aims to achieve light distributed feedback mainly of periodical perturbation of the gain factor by diminishing the periodical perturbation of refractive index caused by the changes in the thickness of the active layer (5) or the absorptive layer. This invention is characterized by a refractive index canceling structure comprising a combination of layers (6) and (7) of different refractive indices to cancel periodical changes in refractive index caused by the periodical structure of the active layer (5) or the absorptive layer.

Abstract: A photodiode having a GaInAs light-absorbing layer on an InP substrate which can reduce temperature dependence of the spectral responsivity as well as enable the optical power measurement with less dependence on the incident light spectral width by using a material with smaller composition ratio of Ga for the light-absorbing layer to extend the absorption edge toward the longer wavelengths.

Abstract: A semiconductor optical device having a quantum well structure which can easily integrate plural optical devices of band gaps which are different from each other, and yet can achieve a high coupling coefficient by means of disordering the quantum well structure to form a waveguide region except for the portion which is used as an active region. Non-absorbing edges can be formed on the semiconductor laser on the optically integrated circuits by disordering the facets of the quantum well structure with ion implantation and thermal processing.

Abstract: An optical semiconductor device which can independently control optical gains or optical characteristics electrically by forming two layers on two pn junctions with either a pnp structure or an npn structure of a band gap energy narrower than adjacent layers thereto to enable increase of modulation width of a monolithic integrated laser with an optical modulator such as wavlength tunable laser or control of spectrum forms of a semiconductor optical amplifier.

Abstract: A distributed feedback semiconductor laser having a diffractive grating on an active layer in order to generate stimulated emission by recombing electrons with positive holes thereon by the light distributed feedback. This laser can achieve precisely single wavelength longitudinal mode lasing as a thin buffer layer is grown on the surface of the semiconductor layer which has been etched with irregular pattern corresponding to the diffractive grating while the corrugated pattern is being maintained intact and an active layer is grown on the surface thereof in a manner to fill in the valleys of the corrugated pattern as much as possible so that a diffractive grating is formed on the active layer and light distributed feedback is caused mainly by the periodic perturbation of gain coefficients stimulated by the diffractive grating.

Abstract: This invention enables low voltage operation and improves matching in velocities of the radio frequency and of light by lowering effective index and to thereby expand modulation frequency bandwidth by structuring an optical modulator where a substrate of the material of which refractive index changes by an application of electric field description, and the insulating buffer layers are eliminated from the regions other than the electrodes. By structuring the modulator in a manner to satisfy the prescribed conditions with dimensions of each unit, the light can be matched in complete phase matching (group velocity matching) with radio frequency while characteristic impedance of the electrodes is fixed at a desired value.