Abstract

We report the successful demonstration of a new class of semiconductor optical waveguides. These waveguides should in theory have considerably lower loss and smaller allowable bend radii than previously reported semiconductor guides and could lead to a number of new active and passive guided wave structures that can be monolithically integrated with other semiconductor devices. The guides were formed in thin GaAs epitaxial layers which were grown over SiO₂ films on GaAs substrates by a vapor-phase lateral overgrowth technique. This paper describes the fabrication techniques and optical characteristics of the guides, which will be referred to as oxide-confined waveguides.

© 1980 Optical Society of America