Tunable Semiconductor Slotted Lasers for Near-Infrared Optical Coherence Tomography

The use of Optical Coherence Tomography in the field of clinical diagnosis is significant. There are different types of swept source lasers available on the market today, however, their design and associated complex fabrication process increase their cost. In the work presented here, an economical six-section slotted tunable laser operating near 850 nm has been designed and fabricated using a UV optical lithography process. The laser is monolithically integrable without a need for any regrowth step. Initial characterization has confirmed the high quality of the slot geometry and stable single mode operation within its tuning range.