Claims
- 1. A coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser having a fundamental laser mode at a desired operating wavelength, said laser comprising:a) a base distributed Bragg reflector, comprising alternating layers of at least two electrically conducting single crystal semiconductor materials; b) a base electrical terminal functionally attached to the base distributed Bragg reflector; c) a first laser cavity having a first laser cavity resonant wavelength not equal to said desired operating wavelength, comprising: i) a first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector positioned above the base distributed Bragg reflector, said first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector having a reflector thickness and comprising alternating layers of at least two electrically conducting single crystal semiconductor materials, said first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector being separated from said base distributed Bragg reflector by an optical thickness substantially equal to an integral number of said first laser cavity resonant wavelength; ii) a first active laser medium disposed between the base distributed Bragg structure and the first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector; and, iii) a first laser cavity electrical terminal functionally connected to the first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector; and, d) a second laser cavity having a second laser cavity resonant wavelength not equal to said operating wavelength, comprising: i) a second laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector positioned above the first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector, said second laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector comprising alternating layers of at least two electrically conducting single crystal semiconductor materials, and being separated from said first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector by an optical thickness substantially equal to an integral number of said second laser cavity resonant wavelength; ii) a second active laser medium disposed between the second laser cavity distributed Bragg structure and the first laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector; and, iii) a second laser cavity electrical terminal functionally connected to the second laser cavity distributed Bragg reflector, wherein said reflector thickness is configured so that the first laser cavity and the second laser cavity are thereby optically coupled so that the fundamental laser mode of the coupled-resonator vertical cavity laser is at the desired operating wavelength, and so that other laser modes are substantially suppressed relative to the fundamental laser mode.
- 2. The coupled-resonator vertical cavity laser of claim 1, wherein at least one chosen from the group consisting of said first active laser medium or said second active laser medium comprises at least one active quantum well.
- 3. The coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser of claim 1, wherein each of said first laser medium and said second laser medium comprises at least one active quantum well.
- 4. The coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser of claim 1, wherein at least one of the group consisting of said first active laser medium and said second active laser medium comprises multiple active quantum wells.
- 5. The coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser of claim 1, wherein each of said first laser medium and said second laser medium comprises multiple active quantum wells.
- 6. The coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser of claim 1, further comprising at least one current concentration structure.
- 7. The coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser of claim 1, wherein said first laser cavity resonant wavelength and said second laser cavity resonant wavelength are substantially equal.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
This invention was made with Government support under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
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