Patent attributes
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array is fabricated to produce multiple wavelengths. A first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) is formed on a substrate, and an optical layer having an active region is formed on the first DBR. The optical layer has a variation in optical characteristic configured to generate multiple wavelengths. To do this, a first portion of the layer is formed on the first DBR. Different dimensioned features (profiles, wells, trenches, gratings, etc.) are then formed on a surface of the first portion. Subsequently, a second portion of the layer is formed by filling in the dimensioned features on the first portion's surface. Finally, a second DBR is formed on the second portion of the layer. The variation in optical characteristic can include variation in refractive index, physical thickness, or both. The assembly can be processed as usual to produce a VCSEL array having multiple emitters.
