METHOD OF MANUFACTURING VERTICAL CAVITY SURFACE EMITTING LASER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING LASER ARRAY, VERTICAL CAVITY SURFACE EMITTING LASER AND LASER ARRAY, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH LASER ARRAY

• US 20110026557A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Uchida, Tatsuro
• Application Number:
  US12/902,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20110026557A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/46.012
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/166 Single transverse or lateral mode
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04254 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18311 using selective oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18358 containing spacer layers to adjust the phase of the light wave in the cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18369 based on dielectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18377 comprising layers of different kind of materials, e.g. combinations of semiconducting with dielectric or metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18391 Aperiodic structuring to influence the near- or far-field distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34326 with a well layer based on InGa(Al)P, e.g. red laser

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser of a mesa structure, the method comprises: sequentially laminating on a substrate a plurality of semiconductor layers including a bottom reflecting mirror, an active layer, a selective oxidation layer and a top reflecting mirror, followed by forming a dielectric film on the laminated semiconductor layers; forming on the dielectric film a first resist pattern comprised of large and small annular opening patterns and large and small annular resist patterns around the same central axis; forming the large and small annular opening patterns in the dielectric film; forming a second resist pattern in the dielectric film so that only the small annular opening pattern is exposed, followed by forming an annular electrode in the exposed small annular opening pattern; and forming a third resist pattern over the annular electrode.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. An image forming apparatus comprising, as a light source, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser array obtained by arranging a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers formed according to a method of manufacturing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser that includes:

sequentially laminating on a substrate a plurality of semiconductor layers including a bottom reflecting minor, an active layer, a selective oxidation layer, and a top reflecting mirror, followed by forming a dielectric film on the laminated semiconductor layers;

forming on the dielectric film a first resist pattern that includes large and small annular opening patterns having a same central axis;

forming the large and small annular opening patterns in the dielectric film, using the first resist pattern;

forming a second resist pattern on the dielectric film with the large and small annular opening patterns so that only the small annular opening pattern is exposed, followed by forming an annular electrode in the exposed small annular opening pattern; and

forming a third resist pattern over the annular electrode to form a mesa structure that includes the large annular opening pattern formed in the dielectric film and the third resist pattern.

11. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser of a mesa structure comprising:

a bottom reflecting mirror;

an active layer;

a current confinement structure; and

a top reflecting mirror including an annular electrode, wherein

the mesa structure has an annular planar shape,

a central axis of the annular shaped mesa structure is same as a central axis of the annular electrode, and

the annular shaped mesa structure has a larger outer diameter than that of the annular electrode.

12. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser according to claim 11, wherein the annular shaped mesa structure and the annular electrode are formed to have large and small concentric annular shapes different in diameter or large and small concentric square annular shapes different in a length of each side.

13. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser according to claim 11, wherein a non-oxidized region in the current confinement structure has a diameter of 3 to 5 microns, and an opening in the annular electrode has a diameter larger than the diameter of the non-oxidized region by 0.5 to 1.0 micron.

14. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser according to claim 11, wherein the laser is one of a plurality of lasers arranged to form a vertical cavity surface emitting laser array.

15. (canceled)