<title>Monolithic integration in III-V semiconductors via a universal damage enhanced quantum well intermixing technique</title>

Abstract

A novel technique for quantum well intermixing is demonstrated which has proven to be a reliable means for obtaining post-growth shifts in the band edge of a wide range of III-V material systems. The techniques relies upon the generation of point defects via plasma induced damage during the deposition of sputtered silica, and provides a simple and reliable process for the fabrication of both wavelength tuned lasers and monolithically integrated devices. Wavelength tuned board area oxide stripe lasers are demonstrated in InGaAs-InAlGaAs, InGaAs-InGaAsP, and GaInP- AlInP quantum well systems, and it is shown that low absorption losses are obtained after intermixing. Oxide stripe lasers with integrated slab waveguides have also enabled the production of a narrow single lobed far field pattern in both InGaAs-InAlGaAs, and GaInP-AlGaInP devices. Extended cavity ridge waveguide lasers operating at 1.5 micrometers are demonstrated with low loss waveguides, and it is shown that this loss is limited only by free carrier absorption in the waveguide cladding layers. In addition, the operation of intermixed multi-mode interference coupler lasers is demonstrated, where four GaAs-AlGaAs laser amplifiers are monolithically integrated to produce high output powers of 180 mW in a single fundamental mode. The results illustrate that the technique can routinely be used to fabricate low los optical interconnects and offers a very promising route toward photonic integration.