Distributed Bragg reflectors and devices incorporating same

Patent 5158908 Issued on October 27, 1992. Estimated Expiration Date:

September 28, 2010. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Distributed feedback diode laser
Patent #: 3983509
Issued on: 09/28/1976
Inventor: Scifres , et al.

Buried undercut mesa-like waveguide and method of making same
Patent #: 4764246
Issued on: 08/16/1988
Inventor: Bridges , et al.

Surface-emitting lasers with periodic gain and a parallel driven nipi structure Patent #: 4873696
Issued on: 10/10/1989
Inventor: Coldren, et al.

Inventors

Assignee

AT&T Bell Laboratories

Application

No. 590197 filed on 09/28/1990

US Classes:

438/32, Optical grating structure257/E33.069, Comprising resonant cavity structure (e.g., Bragg reflector pair) (EPO)438/39Mesa formation

Examiners

Primary: Hearn, Brian E.
Assistant: Fleck, Linda J.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Indig; George S.

Foreign Patent References

78232 JP 03/13/1990

International Class

H01L 021/20

Abstract

Distributed Bragg Reflectors of high efficacy based on alternating layers of large difference in refractive index are fabricated by epitaxial growth followed by etchant removal and back-filling to produce a structure in which alternation is between layers of retained epitaxially grown material and layers of back-filled material. Such reflectors may serve simply as mirrors or may be incorporated in a variety of devices including lasers, LEDs, detectors, optical switches in which the DBRs serve e.g. for cavitation.