Grating-surface-emitting lasers in a ring configuration

Abstract

A monolithic grating-surface-emitting ring laser has been fabricated and its spectral properties and far-field radiation pattern studied. The ring laser was configured from two columns of two-dimensional grating-surface-emitting diode laser arrays. The columns were optically linked at each end with total-internal-reflection corner turning mirrors formed by micromachining grooves in the wafer with a focused ion beam. Single longitudinal mode operation with a high degree of spatial coherence between the two columns and a narrowing of the lateral far-field pattern were observed.