Thermally stabilized diode laser structure

摘要

A diode laser structure is thermally stabilized by passing current through heater strips along the sides of the diode laser cavity. The thermally stabilized diode laser structure comprises a first confinement layer and a substrate of one conductivity type, an active layer, a second confinement layer and a contact layer of an opposing conductivity type. Disordered regions extend from the contact layer through to the first confinement layer defining diode laser cavities. Resistive regions are formed within the disordered regions. Individual contacts on the contact layer aligned with each diode laser cavity inject current through the diode laser cavity to the contact on the substrate causing emission of coherent light through the edge of the diode laser structure. Individual contacts on the contact layer aligned with resistive region inject current through the resistive region to the contact on the substrate causing generation of heat. The resistive region within the disordered region forms a heater strip and adjacent heater strips maintain the temperature within the diode laser cavity inbetween the adjacent disordered regions of the heater strips. The resistive can be replaced with a diffused region to provide a forward biased p-n junction to form the heater strip. The contacts for the laser cavity and the heater strips can be interdigitated.