Abstract

The practical deployment of wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) systems will require integrated multi-wavelength laser sources using gratings with several different pitches in close proximity on a single chip. At present there is no technique for fabricating such arrays suitable for manufacturing. Holographic exposure has become the standard grating fabrication technique for guided-wave optoelectronic devices such as DFB or DBR lasers. While offering rapid, large area processing of the entire wafer, this method has severe limitations when more complex grating configurations are required. Electron-beam lithography has proven to be a powerful tool, but the long writing time required to create these patterns raises serious questions about the manufacturability of devices when several inch wafer processing is contemplated.

© 1993 Optical Society of America