Phase-locked semiconductor laser array with separate contacts

Abstract

A new monolithic phase-locked semiconductor laser array has been fabricated. Employing two-level metallization, each of the eight elements in the array has a separate contact, thus making it possible to compensate for device nonuniformities and control the near-field and far-field patterns. Threshold currents are approximately 60 mA for each 5-μm-wide laser in the array. Phase locking has been observed via the narrowing of the far-field pattern. Experimental results are compared to those obtained from the same arrays operated with all the lasers connected in parallel.