Failure mode analysis of photonic components on InP using low-coherence reflectometry: case of burned DBR lasers

The high potential of optical low-coherence reflectometry to investigate the failure mode of InP-based optical devices is demonstrated here by considering two examples of burned (under high optical output power and operating temperature) distributed Bragg reflector lasers on InP. In addition to monitoring reflections in the conventional reflection mode, these two-section devices (active amplifier section and passive Bragg section) are further examined using other in-situ facilities such as the transmission and edge electroluminescence measurements. A comprehensive analysis of these data in comparison to a reference device permitted the following: 1) the spatial localization of burning induced damage only in the amplifier section; 2) some relevant information on the nature of defects in the damaged region, such as their nonradiative character and structural modifications in multiquantum wells, which tentatively are attributed to the occurrence of intermixing between well and barrier layers.