Monolithic Semiconductor Light Source with Spectral Controllability

Solid-state light sources promise many advantages over traditional technologies. Among these advantages is the ability to construct a source whose relative spectral distribution can be tuned to better match a desired spectrum. We propose addressing this technical and market opportunity through the development of a novel single-chip semiconductor device which delivers high optical output power (>200 mW) into dynamically configurable bands, 5 nm in width, across a wide spectral range (50-100 nm). The light source will be spatially coherent in a single fundamental transverse mode to allow efficient fiber coupling (loss <1dB) or direct free space focusing to a diffraction limited spot. The relative-intensity noise of the source will rival that of the best semiconductor lasers (<-140 dB/Hz). Furthermore, the size and form factor will mimic conventional laser butterfly packages. Our proposed light source is truly revolutionary as it brings together advances in high-power telecommunication lasers and planar-lightwave-circuits with Ahura's broadband source technology for culmination in a solid-state light source with unprecedented performance and reliability.