L-band tunable external cavity laser based on 1.58 μm superluminescent diode integrated with spot-size converter.

We report a 1.58 mu m superluminescent diode (SLD) with a spot-size converter (SSC) designed and fabricated as a light source for a tunable external cavity laser (T-ECL). The active section of the SLD is fabricated by using a planar buried heterostructure (PBH) for low-threshold current and high-output power operation at a low injection current. The SSC structure of the SLD is designed to possess a buried deep-ridge waveguide (BD-RWG) and show a beam of less divergence. The full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the horizontal and vertical far-field patterns (FFPs), due to the beam of the less divergence, are 14 degrees and 13 degrees, respectively. We also confirm that an L-band T-ECL employing the SSC SLD operates well enough to prove the characteristics of high performance. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America