Abstract: A surface emitting semiconductor laser capable of operating at high power levels and with high efficiency is formed to emit in a single far-field lobe in a single mode. The laser includes a semiconductor substrate and epitaxial structure including an active region layer and cladding layers. A distributed feedback grating is formed of periodically alternating grating elements to provide optical feedback as a second order grating for the effective wavelength of light generation from the active region. Surface emission in a single lobe pattern may be obtained by forming one edge face of the structure to be reflective and the other face to be antireflective. The semiconductor laser may also be formed to have a symmetric near-field pattern and single lobe surface emission utilizing a phase shift in the 2nd-order distributed feedback grating at its center and with antireflective edge faces.

Abstract: A micromechanical optical modulator includes an input optical waveguide that projects a beam across a gap to an output optical waveguide. A phase shifting gate is mounted between the input and output optical waveguides and has a light transmissive panel which may have at least two sections of different thicknesses. The phase shifting gate is translatable between a position in which the beam of light is transmitted and a second position in which a section of the gate panel is interposed in the beam path and the beam of light is reflected by interference effects. A micromechanical actuator may be connected to the phase shifting gate to switch it between its positions. The optical waveguides may be mounted at an angle to the surfaces of the sections of the gate such that when the beam is reflected from the gate it is directed to a second output optical waveguide, which receives the beam and directs it on a new path, thereby allowing switching of optical beam paths in an optical communication system.