Patent ID: 7366210

Claim:
A high power laser comprising: a planar multi-mode optical gain region on a semiconductor chip extending between a first low-reflectivity facet and a back-reflecting facet; a means for electrically pumping the multi-mode optical gain region to provide optical gain; a planar passive multi-mode interference region on an optical chip extending between a second low-reflectivity facet and an output end which is coupled to a single-mode waveguide for providing an output for the laser; and an optical reflector optically coupled with the single-mode waveguide, whereby a laser cavity is defined by the optical reflector and the back-reflecting facet; wherein the first and second low-reflectivity facets are optically coupled to form a compound multimode interference region between the back-reflecting facet and the output end of the planar passive multi-mode interference region with a length that is a multiple of a self-imaging distance.