MONOLITHIC 2-DIMENSIONAL GAAS ALGAAS LASER ARRAYS FABRICATED BY CHLORINE ION-BEAM-ASSISTED MICROMACHINING

Chlorine ion-beam-assisted etching (IBAE) has been used to micromachine laser facets and deflecting mirrors for monolithic two-dimensional GaAs/AIGaAs laser arrays. Three laser cavity/deflector designs have been successfully implemented. The first utilizes a parabolic deflecting mirror to directly focus the laser radiation; the second consists of a folded cavity with a vertical facet, a top surface facet, and an internal 45° reflector; and the third has a folded cavity with an internal Al0.2Ga0.8As/Al0.8Ga0.2As dielectric mirror stack and a top surface facet formed in a single etch step with two internal 45° reflectors. The parabolic deflecting mirrors are currently modeled for f- 0.8 collection efficiency, making the first design attractive in incoherent arrays for high-power applications such as pumping Nd:YAG lasers. The other two structures are of interest for incoherent or coherent arrays used in high- and medium-power applications, since the top surface facets can easily be antireflection coated. The design with a dielectric mirror stack is particularly simple to fabricate. © 1990 The Mineral, Metal & Materials Society, Inc.