8-WAVELENGTH DBR LASER ARRAY FABRICATED WITH A SINGLE-STEP BRAGG GRATING PRINTING TECHNIQUE

An 8-wavelength DBR array for narrow channel wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has been fabricated with a new technique for printing first-order Bragg gratings using a phase mask and a conventional incoherent source. All the distributed gratings were printed in a single photolithographic step with a slightly modified mask aligner. We demonstrate excellent wavelength control for channels separated by as little as 0.8 nm. Many advanced photonic devices relying on gratings like quarter-wave shifted DFB lasers and WDM components can potentially be manufactured with this technique in a simple and cost-effective way.