InGaAsP/InP quantum well buried heterostructure waveguides produced by ion implantation

Formation of buried InGaAsP/InP quantum well waveguides by means of phosphorus ion implantation and thermal annealing during regrowth is demonstrated. Absorption spectra of implanted and unimplanted regions are used to estimate the induced index difference, which is of the order of 1% at 1.55 mu m. Calculated mode intensities are in good agreement with the observed near field intensity patterns. With this etchless implant technique the authors achieve a significant reduction in propagation loss for singlemode pin waveguides relative to etched semi-insulating planar buried heterostructure waveguides fabricated from the same quantum well structure. In addition to reduced scattering loss, buried quantum well waveguides produced by ion implantation are more manufacturable because fewer and less-critical processing steps are involved.