Patent ID: 7949029

Claim:
A coupled-cavity semiconductor laser, comprising: a semiconductor active region disposed between a first semiconductor confining layer and a second semiconductor confining layer; a plurality of first electrode elements coupled with the first confining layer, at least a portion of each of the first electrode elements being spaced apart and substantially collinear to each other; at least one second electrode coupled with the second confining layer; a plurality of optically coupled micro-cavities, each of the optically coupled micro-cavities being defined by an associated one of said plurality of first electrode elements; a first micro-cavity reflector formed from at least one of the optically coupled micro-cavities; a second micro-cavity reflector formed from at least one of the optically coupled micro-cavities; a plurality of inter-cavity spacings, each of the inter-cavity spacings being a region between an adjacent pair of optically coupled micro-cavities; the semiconductor laser device being capable of emitting light in the active region upon the application of electrical current between at least one of the first electrode elements and the second electrode, the emitted light having a plurality of wavelength resonances, the plurality of wavelength resonances having values determined at least in part by a first length of the first micro-cavity reflector and a second length of the second micro-cavity reflector, the plurality of wavelength resonances having a dominant resonance wavelength having a value determined at least in part by a length of the inter-cavity spacings.