Multi-wavelength laser array by chemical beam epitaxy on patterned InP substrates

Growth on patterned substrates has become an important technique for optoelectronic device applications. The patterned substrates have a masked pattern with SiO₂/Si₃N₄ as the masking material, or an etched pattern without a mask, or a combination of these two techniques. Surface migration of molecules adsorbed on different crystal facets observed in CBE leads to variation in grown thickness between different facets and also compositional non-uniformities due to differences in migration lengths of various species. This technique provides a very convenient tool for obtaining multi-wavelength laser arrays for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) applications, monolithic laser-modulator structures, in one epitaxial growth step