Chih-Hsiang Lin

6549556, Apr 15, 2003

Nov 30, 2001

10/002997

Wen-Yen Hwang - Sugar Land TX
Klaus Alexander Anselm - Sugar Land TX
Stefan J. Murry - Houston TX
Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX
Jun Zheng - Houston TX
James N. Baillargeon - Springfield NJ

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. - Sugar Land TX

H01S 5183

372 96, 372 43

A metal bonded vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) structure with a bottom dielectric distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirror, and method for fabricating the VCSEL structure. The VCSEL structure consists a metal bonding layer disposed on a submount at a bottom side of the metal bonding layer; a bottom cavity mirror comprising a bottom dielectric distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) disposed within the metal bonding layer, the bottom dielectric DBR having a reflectance band including the lasing wavelength; a bottom current-spreading layer disposed on said bottom dielectric DBR and on a substantially flat, annular top surface of said metal bonding layer; a semiconductor active region disposed on the bottom current-spreading layer, said active region capable of stimulated emission at the lasing wavelength; and a top cavity mirror disposed above the active region and having a reflectance band including the lasing wavelength.

6603184, Aug 5, 2003

Jan 30, 2001

09/774480

Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX
Jeffery L. Johnson - Sugar Land TX
Klaus Alexander Anselm - Sugar Land TX

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. - Sugar Land TX

H01L 31075

257458, 257431, 257461

An embodiment of a radiation detector includes a semiconductor-based blocking structure interposed between the detectors absorption region and at least one of its contact structures. The blocking structure is adapted to prevent minority carriers generated within the adjacent contact structure from reaching the absorption region, and may also prevent minority carriers generated within the absorption region near the contact structure from entering the contact structure. Majority carriers, on the other hand, may be substantially unimpeded by the blocking structure in moving from the absorption region to the contact structure. In an embodiment, the blocking structure has a higher effective energy gap than its adjacent contact structure and than the absorption region. The interface between the blocking structure and the absorption region may be graded, so that the effective energy gap decreases gradually between the blocking structure and the absorption region.

6669367, Dec 30, 2003

Oct 10, 2001

09/974287

Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX
Wen-Yen Hwang - Sugar Land TX
Jun Zheng - Houston TX
Stefan J. Murry - Houston TX
James N. Baillargeon - Springfield NJ

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. - Sugar Land TX

G02B 612

383 14, 385 31, 385 88, 385 89, 372 92, 372 97, 372 98, 438 26, 438 27, 438 29

A vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) is formed by providing a monolithic portion having a first laser cavity mirror and an active region disposed on the first mirror. The cavity is completed with a second laser cavity mirror, such as a DBR, deposited onto the light-receiving end of an optical device, such as an optical fiber. The DBR-on-fiber-end is mounted with respect to the active region to complete the laser cavity and to provide automatic coupling of the output laser light into the fiber.

6697413, Feb 24, 2004

Oct 31, 2001

10/000672

Wen-Yen Hwang - Sugar Land TX
Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX
Jun Zheng - Houston TX
James N. Baillargeon - Springfield NJ

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. - Sugar Land TX

H01S 5187

372 96, 372 20

An embodiment of a surface-emitting laser structure includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type coupled to a first contact and a second semiconductor region of the same conductivity type coupled to a second contact. A third semiconductor region of the opposite conductivity type is coupled to a third contact and interposed between the first and second semiconductor regions. An active region is interposed between the first and third regions. In a further embodiment, the laser structure may include a variable refractive index structure interposed between the second and third semiconductor regions. In another embodiment, a surface-emitting laser structure may include an active region between a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type coupled to a first contact, and a second As semiconductor region of opposite conductivity type coupled to a second contact. A third electrical contact is dielectrically spaced from the second semiconductor region.

6735224, May 11, 2004

Dec 20, 2001

10/029018

Stefan J. Murry - Houston TX
Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX
N. Stephan Kinsella - Houston TX

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. - Sugar Land TX

H01S 310

372 20, 372 21

A planar lightwave circuit (PLC) module for conditioning light output from a tunable laser designed to generate light at a target wavelength. The PLC module has a substrate; a primary waveguide embedded in said substrate, said primary waveguide having an input end for receiving light from the tunable laser and an output end for outputting said light; and at least a first secondary waveguide embedded in said substrate, said first secondary waveguide receiving a first portion of said light from the tunable laser. A filter having a passband centered on the target wavelength is coupled to an output of the first secondary waveguide to receive said first portion of light, and generates a signal related to the intensity of said first portion of light in the passband centered on the target wavelength. This may be used by a processor and associated laser control circuitry for wavelength locking purposes.

20020125472, Sep 12, 2002

Mar 9, 2001

09/802368

Jeffery Johnson - Sugar Land TX, US
Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX, US

H01L029/06
H01L031/0328
H01L031/0336
H01L031/072
H01L031/109

257/021000

A multispectral radiation detector for detecting radiation in at least two spectral bands, comprises a substrate and a layer stack grown on the substrate. The layer stack comprises at least first and second photodiodes, each photodiode having at least one strain-compensating superlattice absorbing layer substantially lattice matched to adjacent layers of the detector. Each strain-compensating superlattice absorbing layer has an energy gap responsive to radiation energy in a corresponding spectral region and different from the energy gaps of other strain-compensating superlattice absorbing layers of the detector.

20020163952, Nov 7, 2002

Dec 20, 2001

10/029059

Wen-Yen Hwang - Sugar Land TX, US
Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX, US
James Baillargeon - Springfield NJ, US

H01S003/08

372/096000

A laser apparatus has a first mirror, a second mirror, at least a portion of which is defined by the first and second mirrors. The laser has an active region located in the laser cavity, which is capable of stimulated emission at one or more wavelengths of light. The second mirror comprises a plurality of dielectric layers arranged in parallel and having a reflectivity band with a peak reflectivity at a peak wavelength, said reflectivity band having a width of less than 1 nm at a reflectivity of 3% less than the peak reflectivity. The laser apparatus may be a tunable laser apparatus in which the peak wavelength of the reflectivity band is adjusted, thereby adjusting the lasing wavelength of the laser. The reflectivity band may be a lasing threshold reflectivity band over which the reflectivity of the second mirror is greater than a lasing threshold reflectivity which is sufficient to permit lasing.

20030026532, Feb 6, 2003

Dec 20, 2001

10/029058

Stefan Murry - Houston TX, US
Chih-Hsiang Lin - Sugar Land TX, US

APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.

G02B006/26
H01S003/13

385/027000, 385/039000, 372/032000

A zigzag waveguide device-based apparatus and method for achieving or maintaining wavelength lock for a tunable laser designed to generate light at a selected one of a plurality of target wavelengths. The apparatus has a reflectively coupled zigzag waveguide device for receiving a portion of light output by the tunable laser, the zigzag waveguide device having a plurality of filters, each having a passband centered at a respective one of the plurality of target wavelengths, whereby said zigzag waveguide device produces a plurality of filtered light outputs. A plurality of photosensors is provided, one for each of said plurality of filters, each said filter positioned to receive a respective one of the plurality of filtered light outputs, each said filter producing a filter output signal related to the intensity of said portion of light in the passband of the corresponding filter. A processor generates, in response to the plurality of filter output signals, a control signal to adjust the lasing wavelength of the tunable laser to achieve or maintain said selected one of the target wavelengths. In one embodiment, the zigzag waveguide device includes a first waveguide that is coupled to the laser to receive light output. A first wavelength filter is coupled to the first waveguide to receive light therefrom. The first wavelength filter transmits a band of wavelengths and reflecting one or more bands of wavelengths. A second waveguide is coupled to the first wavelength filter and receives light reflected from the first wavelength filter. A mirror is coupled to the second waveguide and receives light from the second waveguide. A third waveguide is coupled to the mirror to receive light reflected from the mirror. A second wavelength filter is coupled to the third waveguide to receive light therefrom. The second wavelength filter transmits a band of wavelengths different from the band of wavelengths transmitted by the first wavelength filter and reflects one or more bands of wavelengths. A first photodiode is coupled to receive light transmitted by the first wavelength filter. A second photodiode is coupled to receive light transmitted by the second wavelength filter. A laser wavelength controller is coupled to the tunable laser and is capable of modifying the wavelength of the tunable laser based at least in part on an output of one of the first and second photodiodes.