An active optical device with reduced axial carrier depletion is disclosed. This
active optical device includes a substrate layer; a p-doped active layer coupled
to the substrate, a semiconductor layer coupled to the active layer, an electrical
contact coupled to the substrate layer, and an electrical contact coupled to the
semiconductor layer. The p-doped active layer has a central interaction region
and a transverse diffusion region. The transverse diffusion region supplies additional
carriers to the central interaction region in response to carrier depletion in
the central interaction region caused by the interaction of the carriers with a
light beam. Also a method of operation and a method of manufacture for the active
optical device is disclosed.
