Method for manufacturing gallium and nitrogen bearing laser devices with improved usage of substrate material

• US 10,141,714 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera SLD Laser Incorporated (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Soraa Laser Diode, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Sztein, Alexander, McLaurin, Melvin, Hsu, Po Shan, Raring, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Karimy, Timor
• Application Number:
  US15/675,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20170365975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0202 Cleaving
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0203 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0205 during growth of the semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0215 Bonding to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0234 Up-side down mountings, e.g. Flip-chip, epi-side down mountings or junction down mountings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2201 in a specific crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3202 grown on specifically orientated substrates, or using orientation dependent growth
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320275 semi-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34346 characterised by the materials of the barrier layers

Abstract

A plurality of dies includes a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate having a surface region and an epitaxial material formed overlying the surface region. The epitaxial material includes an n-type cladding region, an active region having at least one active layer overlying the n-type cladding region, and a p-type cladding region overlying the active region. The epitaxial material is patterned to form the plurality of dies on the surface region, the dies corresponding to a laser device. Each of the plurality of dies includes a release region composed of a material with a smaller bandgap than an adjacent epitaxial material. A lateral width of the release region is narrower than a lateral width of immediately adjacent layers above and below the release region to form undercut regions bounding each side of the release region. Each die also includes a passivation region extending along sidewalls of the active region.

Claims

1. A plurality of dies, comprising:

a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate having a surface region;

an epitaxial material formed overlying the surface region, the epitaxial material comprising an n-type cladding region, an active region comprising at least one active layer overlying the n-type cladding region, and a p-type cladding region overlying the active region, wherein the epitaxial material is patterned to form the plurality of dies on the surface region, the dies corresponding to a laser device, wherein each of the plurality of dies comprises;

a release region composed of a material with a smaller bandgap than an adjacent epitaxial material, wherein a lateral width of the release region is narrower than a lateral width of immediately adjacent layers above and below the release region to form undercut regions bounding each side of the release region; and

a passivation region extending along sidewalls of the active region.

2. The plurality of dies of claim 1, wherein each die is shaped as a mesa.

3. The plurality of dies of claim 1, wherein each of the dies comprises a pair of facets configured from a cleaving process or an etching process.

4. The plurality of dies of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial material contains GaN, AlN, InN, InGaN, AlGaN, InAlN, and/or InAlGaN.

5. The plurality of dies of claim 1, wherein the surface region is oriented along a polar, non-polar, or semi-polar plane.

6. The plurality of dies of claim 1 wherein each of the dies includes a bonding material comprising at least one of metal, oxide, spin-on-glass, soldering alloys, polymers, photoresists, and/or wax, the bonding material extending over a top of the die so that an upper surface of the bonding material is exposed.

7. The plurality of dies of claim 1, wherein the release region is composed of InGaN, InN, InAlN, or InAlGaN.

8. The plurality of dies of claim 1 wherein the passivation region comprises a metal material.

9. The plurality of dies of claim 1, wherein each of the dies comprises one or more components, the one or more components being selected from at least one of an electrical contact, a current spreading region, an optical cladding region, a laser ridge, a laser ridge passivation, or a pair of facets, either alone or in any combination.