High density laser optics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9020006-B2
Application number	US-201214364746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2012
Priority date	Jan 18, 2012
Publication date	Apr 28, 2015
Grant date	Apr 28, 2015

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for high density laser optics are provided. An example, of a laser optics apparatus includes a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) in a monolithically integrated array, a high contrast grating (HCG) integrated with an aperture of a vertical cavity of each of the plurality of the VCSELs to enable emission of a single lasing wavelength of a plurality of lasing wavelengths, and a plurality of single mode waveguides, each integrated with a grating coupler, that are connected to each of the plurality of the integrated VCSELs and the HCGs, where each of the grating couplers is aligned to an integrated VCSEL and HCG.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A high density laser optics apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of first vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) in a monolithically integrated array;
a high contrast grating (HCG) integrated with an aperture of a vertical cavity of each of the plurality of the first VCSELs to enable emission of a single lasing wavelength of a plurality of lasing wavelengths; and
a plurality of single mode waveguides, each integrated with a grating coupler, that are connected to each of the plurality of the first integrated VCSELs and the HCGs, wherein each of the grating couplers is aligned to an integrated VCSEL and HCG.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of second VCSELs, in a monolithically integrated array, wherein the plurality of the second VCSELs is configured to produce a wavelength discrete from a wavelength configured to be produced by the plurality of the first VCSELs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of the second VCSELs comprises an HCG integrated with an aperture of a vertical cavity thereof such that a range of lasing wavelengths emitted by the plurality of the second VCSELs is discrete from a range of lasing wavelengths emitted by the plurality of the first VCSELs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each HCG enables each of the plurality of the first VCSELs to operate in a single mode to emit a discrete lasing wavelength.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of single mode waveguides comprises a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) that integrates each of the discrete lasing wavelengths for output in a single optical waveguide.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the WDM is a silica planar lightwave circuit on a silicon platform.

7. A high density laser optics apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) in a monolithically integrated array;
a high contrast grating (HCG) integrated with an aperture of a vertical cavity of each of the plurality of the VCSELs to enable emission of a single lasing wavelength of a plurality of lasing wavelengths, wherein the plurality of lasing wavelengths is each spaced apart in a range of from 1 nanometer to 20 nanometers; and
a plurality of single mode waveguides, each integrated with a grating coupler, that are connected to each of the plurality of the integrated VCSELs and the HCGs, wherein each of the grating couplers is aligned to an integrated VCSEL and HCG.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each of the grating couplers is self-aligned to the integrated VCSEL and the HCG.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising electrical leads formed on a single platform for the plurality of the integrated VCSELs and the HCGs and the plurality of single mode waveguides, wherein the electrical leads enable modulation of drive currents that include data to be converted into light by the integrated VCSELs and the HCGs.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a temperature stabilizing component that stabilizes a temperature of the plurality of the integrated VCSELs and the HCGs.

11. A method of fabricating a high density laser optics apparatus, comprising:
processing a stack of semiconductor materials to form a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) in a monolithically integrated array, wherein the stack of semiconductor materials comprises:
a first mirror material;
a gain medium material; and
a number of second mirror materials;

processing the first mirror material to form a high contrast grating (HCG) integrated with an aperture of a vertical cavity of each of the plurality of VCSELs to enable emission of a single lasing wavelength of a plurality of lasing wavelengths; and
self-aligning a grating coupler, integrated with a single mode waveguide, to each of the plurality of VCSELs integrated with an HCG, wherein each of the grating couplers is flip-chip self-aligned to a particular integrated VCSEL and HCG.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein flip-chip self-aligning each of the grating couplers to the particular integrated VCSEL and HCG includes matching solder bumps in a corresponding pattern and forming a bond between the matched solder bumps.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein processing the first mirror material to form the HCG includes utilizing electron-beam lithography to etch predetermined variations in pitch and duty cycle of each HCG such that predetermined variations in pitch and duty cycle of each HCG contribute to emitting discrete lasing wavelengths from each of the plurality of VCSELs.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising processing a number of layers of the gain medium material to form an active region, wherein the active region comprises multiple quantum wells.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising processing the number of second mirror materials to form a number of distributed Bragg reflector mirrors at a closed end of the vertical cavity of each of the plurality of integrated VCSELs that in combination with the multiple quantum wells contribute to producing a predetermined wavelength.

Assignees

• Tan Michael Renne Ty
• Fattal David A
• Sorin Wayne V
• Mathai Sagi Varghese
• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Tan Michael Renne Ty
• Fattal David A
• Sorin Wayne V
• Mathai Sagi Varghese

Classifications

• H01S5/183

  having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL] · CPC title

• H01S5/187

  using Bragg reflection · CPC title

• H01S5/1092 Primary

  Multi-wavelength lasing · CPC title

• H01S5/34313

  with a well layer having only As as V-compound, e.g. AlGaAs, InGaAs · CPC title

• H01S5/18363

  comprising air layers · CPC title