Longitudinal mode behaviors of 1.5 µm range GaInAsP/InP distributed feedback lasers

Longitudinal mode behaviors of asymmetric structure distributed feedback buried heterostructure (DFB-BH) lasers are examined theoretically and experimentally. A 1.5 μm range GaInAsP/InP DFB-BH laser was fabricated by a three-step LPE growth process. We measured the stopband in the spectrum of the DFB laser. It was found that no resonance mode emission occurred in the gain spectrum and its spectrum was asymmetric with respect to the Bragg wavelength. Most of the lasing power concentrated on the DFB mode adjacent to the stop-band which was determined by the Bragg condition. The measured spectrum was explained by the calculated results of the coupled wave theory with external reflectors. The asymmetric spectrum was caused by the relative position of the cleaved facet on the corrugation grating. It was shown that the asymmetric structure DFB laser, which consisted of two end facets with different reflection coefficients, gives a stable single longitudinal mode. There was no mode jump up to 2.3 times threshold. At a modulation depth of 100 percent, the ratio of the highest nonlasing mode intensity to the lasing DFB mode was estimated to be -16.0 dB.