Fabrication method for multiple wavelength vertical-cavity emitter arrays by SiNx layer thickness control

We report very narrow and equally spaced eight-channel multiple-wavelength vertical-cavity emitter arrays emitting from 855 to 862 nm with the average spacing of 0.91 nm. For the postgrowth wavelength adjustment, a binary-coded multistep ion beam etching technique is applied to control the thickness of a SiN/sub x/ tuning layer located on the first Al/sub 0.15/Ga/sub 0.85/As quarter-wave layer above the active region. Our result indicates the possibility of the precisely spaced vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser arrays using this kind of postgrowth wavelength adjustment technique.