Aktives optisches Halbleiter-Stegwellenleiterelement

A guiding structure (16, 18, 20, 22) of this component includes a core structure (18) extending up to coupling faces (8, 10). It is composed of at least three high-index layers (30, 34, 38) having refractive indices which are higher compared to the surrounding media (16, 32, 36, 20) in order to increase, in these layers, the power density of light having to undergo processing such as an amplitude modulation. These high-index layers have compositions enabling them to perform this treatment in response to an electrical excitation while still having thicknesses greater than those of quantum wells. These layers are separated by dilution layers (32, 36) having a lower refractive index and having greater thicknesses such that a single propagation mode of the light is guided by the guiding structure. This mode has a thickness suitable for coupling to an external optical element while at the same time confining most of the light power in the thickness of the core structure in order to promote the processing.