Patent ID: 9136671
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. An edge emitting semiconductor laser comprising: a semiconductor body comprising a waveguide region wherein the waveguide region comprises a first waveguide layer, a second waveguide layer and an active layer arranged between the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer and generates laser radiation, the waveguide region is arranged between a first cladding layer and a second cladding layer disposed downstream of the waveguide region in a growth direction of the semiconductor body, a phase structure for selection of lateral modes of the laser radiation emitted by the active layer is formed in the semiconductor body, wherein the phase structure comprises at least one cutout extending from a top side of the semiconductor body into the second cladding layer; side facets forming a laser resonator, wherein the laser radiation crosses from a main region to the phase structure region of the semiconductor body when propagating between the side facets; at least one first intermediate layer comprising a semiconductor material different from the semiconductor material of the second cladding layer embedded into the second cladding layer; and a second intermediate layer embedded into the second cladding layer, the cutout extending from a top side of the semiconductor body into the first intermediate layer at at least one first point and extending into the second intermediate layer at at least one second point, and the cutout has a spatially varying depth between the first point and the second point and the depth of the cutout in the second cladding layer increases or decreases between the first point and the second point continuously or in stepped fashion in a plurality of steps in a direction parallel to the direction of the laser radiation propagating between the side facets, thereby reducing coupling losses when the laser radiation crosses from the main region to the phase structure region.