Semiconductor laser diode on tiled gallium containing material

• US 10,431,958 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera SLD Laser Incorporated (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Soraa Laser Diode, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: McLaurin, Melvin, Sztein, Alexander, Hsu, Po Shan, Raring, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N
• Application Number:
  US16/032,997
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 372 4401
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/50 Wavelength conversion elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/00 Semiconductor lasers superluminescent diodes H01L33/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0202 Cleaving
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0206 Substrates, e.g. growth, shape, material, removal or bonding; specific crystal orientation H01S5/3202
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0215 Bonding to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0216 using an intermediate compound, e.g. a glue or solder
• 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 5/028 Coatings ; Treatment of the laser facets, e.g. etching, passivation layers or reflecting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0282 Passivation layers or treatments
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0421 characterised by the semiconducting contacting layers electrodes H01S5/0425
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0425 Electrodes, e.g. characterised by the structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/22 having a ridge or stripe structure
• 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 5/32025 non-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

Abstract

In an example, the present invention provides a gallium and nitrogen containing multilayered structure. The structure has a plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates, each of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates (“substrates”) having a plurality of epitaxially grown layers overlaying a top-side of each of the substrates. The structure has an orientation of a reference crystal direction for each of the substrates. The structure has a first handle substrate coupled to each of the substrates such that each of the substrates is aligned to a spatial region configured in a selected direction of the first handle substrate. The reference crystal direction for each of the substrates is parallel to the spatial region in the selected direction within 10 degrees or less. The structure has a first bonding medium provided between the first handle substrate and each of the substrate while maintaining the alignment between the reference crystal orientation and the selected direction of the first handle substrate. A processed region is formed overlying each of the substrates.

Claims

1. A gallium and nitrogen containing structure comprising:

a plurality of on-axis (10-10) oriented gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates, each of the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates having a plurality of epitaxially grown layers;

a first handle substrate, wherein each of the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates are coupled to the first handle substrate, an in-plane projection of a [0001] direction of each of the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates is aligned to a spatial region configured in a <

110>

direction of the first handle substrate, the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates are arranged in a tiled configuration overlying the first handle substrate, and an orientation of a reference crystal direction for each of the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates is parallel to the spatial region in the <

110>

direction within 10 degrees or less;

a first bonding medium provided between the first handle substrate and each of the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates while maintaining the alignment between the reference crystal orientation and the selected direction of the first handle substrate; and

a processed region formed overlying each of the plurality of gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrates bonded to the first handle substrate.

2. A laser diode device comprising:

an on-axis (10-10) oriented gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate, the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate having a plurality of epitaxially grown layers overlaying a top-side of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate, an in-plane projection of a [0001] direction of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate aligned to a spatial region configured in a <

110>

direction of a first handle substrate, a backside of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate, which has been aligned, being mated to a portion of a surface region of the first handle substrate;

the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate being bonded to the portion of the surface region of the first handle substrate using a first bonding medium provided between the first handle substrate and the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate while maintaining the alignment between a reference crystal orientation of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate and the <

110>

direction of the first handle substrate, and

a metal contact and/or a metal bond pad formed to p-type and/or n-type gallium and nitrogen containing layers of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the reference crystal orientation of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate is substantially parallel to within 5 degrees or less, parallel to within 3 degrees or less, or parallel to within 1 degree or less to the spatial region configured in the selected direction.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the reference crystal orientation is provided by cleaving the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate to expose the reference crystal direction, is provided by X-ray diffraction, or is provided by an orienting flat or otherwise from a determined shape of a portion of the regions.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein the first handle substrate is patterned with one or more alignment marks or discontinuous areas of bonding media configured to align the spatial region to the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate.

6. The device of claim 2 further comprising, a ridge or some other means of inducing lateral optical mode confinement to form a laser stripe.

7. The device of claim 2 further comprising a dielectric passivation layer.

8. The device of claim 2 wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate is thinned via lapping or chemical etching.

9. The device of claim 2 further comprising a pair of cleaved region to form facets.

10. The device of claim 2 further comprising a pair of facets, which are opposite of each other, and provided by an etching process selected from at least one of reactive ion etching (ME), chemical assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE), or inductively coupled plasma etching (ICP).

11. A laser diode device comprising:

an on-axis (10-10) oriented gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate, the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate having a plurality of epitaxially grown layers overlaying a top-side of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate, an in-plane projection of a [0001] direction of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate region being aligned to a spatial region configured in a <

110>

direction of a first handle substrate, the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate being bonded to a portion of a surface region of the first handle substrate using a first bonding medium provided between the first handle substrate and the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate while maintaining the alignment between a reference crystal orientation of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate and the <

110>

direction of the first handle substrate; and

a metal contact and/or a metal bond pad formed to p-type and/or n-type gallium and nitrogen containing layers of the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate, wherein the reference crystal orientation for the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate is substantially parallel to within 10 degrees or less to the spatial region configured in the selected direction.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the reference crystal orientation for the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate is substantially parallel to within 3 degrees or less, or parallel to within 1 degree or less to the spatial region configured in the selected direction.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the reference crystal orientation is provided by cleaving the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate to expose the reference crystal orientation, is provided by X-ray diffraction, or is provided by an orienting flat or otherwise from a determined shape of a portion of the region.

14. The device of claim 11 wherein the first handle substrate is patterned with one or more alignment marks or discontinuous areas of bonding media configured to align the spatial region to the gallium and nitrogen containing semiconductor substrate.

15. The device of claim 11 further comprising, a ridge or some other means of inducing lateral optical mode confinement to form a laser stripe.

16. The device of claim 11 further comprising a dielectric passivation layer.

17. The device of claim 11 wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate is thinned via lapping or chemical etching.

18. The device of claim 11 further comprising a pair of cleaved region to form facets.

19. The device of claim 11 further comprising a pair of facets, which are opposite of each other, and provided by an etching process selected from at least one of reactive ion etching (ME), chemical assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE), or inductively coupled plasma etching (ICP).