Ridge waveguide InGaAsSb quantum well diode lasers fabricated with pulsed anodization etching

Ridge waveguide (RWG) InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb quantum well (QW) diode lasers have been developed for spectroscopic applications in the 1.8-3 μm wavelength range, for which many molecular species have fundamental absorption bands. In fabricating such lasers, the wet chemical techniques currently used to form ridges are not only time consuming, but also suffer from reproducibility problems. In this work, we describe a pulsed anodization etching (PAE) technique which uses a traveling-oxide phenomenon and electrical detection of layer interfaces in the laser structure to overcome these problems. The performance of the lasers fabricated using the PAE fabrication technique is also described