Monolithic oxide-confined multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser arrays with a 57-nm wavelength grading range using an oxidized upper Bragg mirror

Monolithic, oxide-confined, multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emi tting laser arrays with a very large periodic, wavelength grading span of 5 7 nm (from 968 to 1025 nm) have been achieved under room temperature, conti nuous-wave operation, with threshold currents of 4.5 mA +/- 1.5 mA, Almost linear wavelength grading is achieved by organometallic vapor phase epitaxi al growth on a patterned substrate. An extended wavelength range is achieve d by minimizing the optical loss dispersion by scaling the growth rate of a ll the epilayers and using a selectively-oxidized upper DBR mirror with a f lattened optical reflectance spectrum, plus the higher differential optical gain provided by compressively-strained In0.2Ga0.8As-GaAs quantum wells.