SUPERLUMINESCENT DIODE, OR AMPLIFIER CHIP

摘要

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, an optical device is presented, the optical device being a superluminescent light emitting diode or amplifier chip, the optical device comprising a semiconductor quantum well heterostructure (62) embedded in a cladding structure (63-66), and a current injector for injecting charge carriers in the heterostructure, so that radiation reaching the heterostructure is amplifiable by stimulated emission. The heterostructure defines a first and a second discrete energy level in a conduction band, the first and second energy levels spaced apart from each other by more than a thermal excitation energy kT w at a working temperature T w of the optical device, with essentially no energy levels between the first and the second energy level, and the higher one of the first and second energy levels being spaced from a conduction energy band of the cladding structure by more than the thermal excitation energy at the working temperature, the optical device further comprising feedback suppressing means.