InP-based fine-structuring techniques for photonic devices

Recent progress in dry etching technologies enabled realizations of ultra-fine-structures with superior verticality with a high aspect ratio. We applied a reactive-ion-etching (RIE) using a CH/sub 4//H/sub 2/ mixture gas to GaInAsP/InP compound system which is widely used in photonic devices for wideband optical fiber communications, and realized new types of lasers for high performance operation, such as semiconductor/Benzocyclobutene (BCB) distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers and vertical grating distributed feedback (VG-DFB) lasers consisting of a grating formed on the sidewalls of the stripe mesa. Furthermore, a distributed reflector (DR) laser consisting of the VG-DFB region integrated with the semiconductor/BCB DBR as the rear side reflector was realized for high output efficiency operation from the front facet. In this paper, we summarize present status and future prospects of these fine-structuring techniques based on GaInAsP/InP compound for long wavelength photonic devices.