Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser including a supported airgap distributed Bragg reflector
First Claim
1. A distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) comprising:
- a plurality of first material layers formed from a first material over a substrate and separated by a corresponding plurality of gaps; and
an additional layer, where the additional layer supports the plurality of first material layers at their periphery.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser incorporating a supported air gap distributed Bragg reflector is disclosed. The supported air gap DBR includes a regrowth layer of material that provides mechanical support for the original material layers. The supported air gap DBR is fabricated by first growing alternating pairs of a first material and a sacrificial material over a suitable substrate. The layer pairs of the first material and sacrificial material are covered by a suitable dielectric material. The dielectric material is then selectively removed exposing regions of the first material and sacrificial material where selective regrowth of additional material is desired. The selective regrowth of the additional material provides mechanical support for the semiconductor material that remains after a selective etch removal of the sacrificial material.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) comprising:
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a plurality of first material layers formed from a first material over a substrate and separated by a corresponding plurality of gaps; and
an additional layer, where the additional layer supports the plurality of first material layers at their periphery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for making a distributed Brag reflector (DBR), the method comprising the steps of:
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forming a stack of epitaxial layers, the stack of epitaxial layers including alternating layers of a semiconductor material and a sacrificial material;
covering the stack with a mask;
etching the mask to expose the semiconductor material and the sacrificial material;
forming additional semiconductor material on the exposed semiconductor material and sacrificial material to form a support layer; and
selectively removing the sacrificial material to form air gaps between the remaining layers of semiconductor material. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:
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a substrate;
a distributed Bragg reflector formed over the substrate and including a plurality of semiconductor material layers separated by air gaps;
an active region formed over the distributed Bragg reflector, the active region including a current confinement region and a tunnel junction;
a second reflector formed over the active region;
electrical contacts associated with the active region and the distributed Bragg reflector;
where the distributed Bragg reflector includes a support layer to support the layers of semiconductor material. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for making a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:
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forming a substrate;
forming a distributed Bragg reflector over the substrate, the distributed Bragg reflector including alternating layers of a semiconductor material and a sacrificial material;
forming an active region over the distributed Bragg reflector, the active region including a current confinement region and a tunnel junction;
forming a second reflector over the active region;
covering the distributed Bragg reflector, the active region, and the second reflector with a mask;
etching the mask to selectively expose portions of the semiconductor material and the sacrificial material;
forming additional semiconductor material on the exposed portions of the semiconductor material and sacrificial material to form a support layer associated with the distributed Bragg reflector;
selectively removing the sacrificial material to form air gaps between the remaining layers of semiconductor material; and
forming electrical contacts associated with the active region and the distributed Bragg reflector. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification