Multi-wavelength DFB laser based on a sidewall third-order four phase-shifted sampled Bragg grating with uniform wavelength spacing.

We present the first, to our knowledge, demonstration of a 1550 nm multi-wavelength distributed feedback (MW-DFB) laser employing a third-order, four-phase-shifted sampled sidewall grating. By utilizing linearly chirped sampled gratings and incorporating multiple true π-phase shifts within a cavity, we achieved and experimentally validated a four-wavelength laser with a channel spacing of 0.4 nm. The device operates stably and uniformly across a wide range of injection currents from 280 mA to 350 mA. The average wavelength spacing was measured at 0.401 nm with a standard deviation of 0.0081 nm. Additionally, we demonstrated a 0.3 nm MW-DFB laser with a seven-channel output, achieving a wavelength spacing of 0.274 nm and a standard deviation of 0.0055 nm. This MW-DFB laser features a ridge waveguide with sidewall gratings, requiring only one metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) step and a single III-V material etching process. This streamlined fabrication approach simplifies device manufacturing and is well-suited for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems.