The invention discloses a semi-ring Fabry-Perot (SRFP) optical resonator structure
comprising a medium including an edge forming a reflective facet and a waveguide
within the medium, the waveguide having opposing ends formed by the reflective
facet. The performance of the SRFP resonator can be further enhanced by including
a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the waveguide on one side of the gain medium.
The optical resonator can be employed in a variety of optical devices. Laser structures
using at least one SRFP resonator are disclosed where the resonators are disposed
on opposite sides of a gain medium. Other laser structures employing one or more
resonators on one side of a gain region are also disclosed.