Lithographic tuning of a two-dimensional photonic crystal laser array

Abstract

One attraction of photonic crystals is the ability to control optical device characterstics by lithographically varying the geometry. In this letter we demonstrate a 10 x 10 array of optically pumped two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystal defect lasers with varying lattice parameters. By adjusting the photonic crystal interhole spacing as well as the hole diameter we are able to tune the laser wavelength from 1500 to 1625 nm on a monolithic InP-In-GaAsP wafer. A wavelength resolution of 10 nm from device to device was obtainable, limited by the lithography and etching tolerances of our fabrication method.