发明授权
- 专利标题: Cavity-less vertical semiconductor optical amplifier
- 专利标题(中): 无凹槽垂直半导体光放大器
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申请号: US09599428申请日: 2000-06-22
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公开(公告)号: US06339496B1公开(公告)日: 2002-01-15
- 发明人: Bikash Koley , Mario Dagenais
- 申请人: Bikash Koley , Mario Dagenais
- 主分类号: H01S30933
- IPC分类号: H01S30933
摘要:
A cavity-less vertical semiconductor optical amplifier is provided which includes an active region of an intrinsic bulk semiconductor material sandwiched between p- and n-layers of semiconductor materials in which a vertical gain channel of a predetermined confined cross-sectional configuration is formed to constitute an amplification region of the optical amplifier. The amplification region is sandwiched between layers of p- and n-doped layers of linearly graded semiconductor material supplying holes and electrons to the active region upon switching “ON” of the optical amplifier. Several factors contribute to substantial amplification of an optical signal at a relatively low injection current which include a relatively long active region allowing sufficient single pass gain as well as a strictly confined cross-sectional configuration of the vertical gain channel which reduces the active volume of the amplification region resulting in substantially high gain at a relatively low current. Flattening of the conduction band and valence band profiles allows easy access of the holes and electrons into the active region. The cavity-less vertical semiconductor optical amplifier of the present invention is intended for multidimensional architectural structures for high speed communication.