Square- and racetrack-lasers as active components for monolithically integrated optoelectronic devices

Abstract

Deeply etched square and rectangular racetrack lasers with diameters from 200 /spl mu/m down to 30 /spl mu/m were fabricated by electron cyclotron resonance reactive ion etching. All devices were operated in continuous-wave mode at room temperature. Threshold currents as low as 30 mA for a square laser with 30 /spl mu/m diameter were achieved. For the smallest devices with 30 /spl mu/m diameter a free spectral range of 6.2 nm could be obtained equivalent to a channel distance of 760 GHz. Racetrack lasers with a 50 /spl mu/m extension length show output powers up to 2.3 mW from one facet, threshold currents between 22 and 60 mA and side mode suppression ratios of 35 dB.