LATERAL WAVEGUIDING ANALYSIS OF 1. 3 mu m InGaAsP-InP METAL-CLAD RIDGE-WAVEGUIDE (MCRW) LASERS.

In the wavelength range of 1. 3 mu m the InGaAsP-InP metal-clad ridge-waveguide (MCRW) laser represents a comparatively low-expense coherent light source with high-performance lasing characteristics. The lateral mode guiding mechanism of this laser is analysed by the effective refractive index approximation in order to study the influence of technological parameters on the waveguiding properties and to provide design curves. Besides the basic MCRW laser structure, two new types of MCRW lasers are presented in which enhanced waveguiding efficiency is obtained by incorporation of an additional quaternary layer. The results are discussed with respect to an optimized device design. It is shown that by a proper choice of the device parameters effective refractive index steps in lateral direction of 1 multiplied by 10** minus **2 are easily achieved.