Abstract

Optical coupling of a semiconductor laser to a single-mode optical fiber using lensed fiber requires submicrometer alignment accuracy and leads to difficult packaging problems. Here we demonstrate the application of photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology by using ultra-thin stop-etch epitaxial layers to integrate a controlled vertically tapered passive waveguide in a multiple quantum-well (MQW) laser cavity. This tapered waveguide adiabatically expands the mode size at the output to provide a better match to a single-mode fiber.

© 1990 Optical Society of America