Monolithic, surface-emitting, semiconductor visible lasers and spectrometers for WDM fiber communication systems

Proof-of-concept devices to create surface-emitting visible lasers are described and demonstrated. A visible, surface-emitting, solid-state diode laser for InGaAs, InP, and GaAs geometries, as well as for several other devices, is discussed. The use of a multilayer system to enhance the waveguide harmonic mixing over a large bandwidth is demonstrated. The resulting surface-emitted light can then be used to measure frequency differences of multiple optical channels in a fiber communication system. It can also be used for nonblocking switching systems. Since phase is preserved by the harmonic mixing, the device is also usable in coherent communication schemes. Experimental measurements of harmonic generation coefficients for a large Al alloy content in AlGaAs are presented