Integrated amplifier-modulators fabricated in Grinsch-SQW structures by impurity induced disordering with fluorine

A variety of proposed photonic applications require the integration of active and passive waveguides on the same chip. One approach for achieving this integration involves disordering the quantum well in selected regions of the GRINSCH-SQW wafer while leaving the optical waveguide intact. Thus, passive waveguide regions can be imbedded in an otherwise active device. In this paper, we report a device in which active amplifiers and reverse biased phase modulators are integrated into a fundamental mode optical waveguide. The processing of the test structures started with the patterning of the implant regions with photo-resist followed by implantation of fluorine, followed by annealing. Fundamental mode ridge waveguides were formed using reactive ion beam etching. The stripe pattern of the waveguides was perpendicular to the stripe pattern of the implants so that the waveguides ran alternately through disordered regions and non-disordered regions. In addition to the integrated modulator/amplifier test devices, we cleaved bars which contained only modulators and only amplifiers. The nominal lengths of the amplifiers and phase modulators were 2 mm and 1 mm respectively. All devices received an anti-reflection coating on both facets to reduce the facet reflectivity to less than 0.5 percent.