Lossless anti-guided arrays with improved mode discrimination

The introduction of an external cladding layer to anti-guided arrays results in several improvements. The foremost is the elimination of radiative loss while maintaining resonant coupling. Moreover, these structures also provide improved mode discrimination and produce a more spatially uniform resonant mode. These improvements could lead to a semiconductor laser array with low threshold, increased efficiency, stable single-mode and in-phase behavior, and better beam quality.