Abstract

Semiconductor lasers that operate at high power and high frequency are important components for optical communication networks and systems. High power operation requires efficient heat remova1 from the active region of the device and high frequency operation requires careful consideration of electrode structure to minimize the deleterious effects of electrical parasitics and poor microwave signal propagation [ 1-31. Efficient heat remova1 has often been achieved by mounting the laser ridge side down onto a diamond heat sink. The highest frequency lasers have utilized a coplanar waveguide electrode geometry with thick metallization to minimize the electrical problems [3]. The microstrip laser, a schematic of which is shown in Figure 1, is inherently an excellent thermal and microwave structure because of the thick gold layer beneath the lower cladding. The schematic drawing is for a polyimide ridge waveguide laser. The improved thermal properties result from the high thermal conductivity of the gold layer which acts as a heat spreader. The improved microwave properties result from the high electrical conductivity of the gold layer, which minimizes slow wave effects and microwave signal attenuation at high frequency [1-2].

© 1996 Optical Society of America