Abstract

Recent development of low-threshold surface-emitting diode lasers offers new possibilities for optoelectronic integration, on-wafer testing and monolithic two-dimensional (2D) laser arrays^(1-9). The 2D arrays have the potential of very large number of integrated lasers and can possibly be coherently phase-locked to form a single high-power laser with high efficiency and narrow, symmetric beam divergence. In this paper, we review recent progress in GaInAsP/InP 2D laser arrays. Attempts have been made to address important issues such as array uniformity, size, performance, heat dissipation and possibility of coherent phase locking. A new technique for fabricating large-numerical-aperture lenslet arrays is also reported.

© 1988 Optical Society of America