Monolithic integration of InGaAsP/InP semiconductor lasers using the stop-cleaving technique.

In this paper we describe the stop-cleaving technique for locally cleaving the mirrors of semiconductor lasers without cleaving the entire substrate and their applications. The technique is suitable for batch processing with a good yield and therefore can be applied to preparing optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEIC's). InGaAsP/InP double-channel-planar-buried-heterostructure lasers emitting at 1.3micron are fabricated utilizing this technique with threshold currents as low as 20mA and differential quantum efficiencies as high as 60% (two facets). The implementation of this technique for preparing a monolithically integrated pair of lasers is also demonstrated. This scheme is utilized to obtain a monolithically integrated laser-detector pair by operating one of the lasers under reverse bias, and to enhance longitudinal mode discrimination by utilizing the optical feedback from the self-aligned stop-cleaved facet of the second cavity.