SURFACE EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASER HAVING A PLURALITY OF ACTIVE ZONES

• US 20110182317A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Müller, Martin, Brick, Peter
• Application Number:
  US12/989,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20110182317A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/50.124
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/109 Frequency multiplication, e.g. harmonic generation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/14 External cavity lasers H01S5/18 takes precedence; mode locking H01S5/065
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18355 having a defined polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18383 with periodic active regions at nodes or maxima of light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18388 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3095 Tunnel junction

Abstract

A surface emitting semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor body having at least two active zones that emit laser radiation and are connected to one another by a tunnel junction; an external resonator mirror arranged outside the semiconductor body and forming a laser resonator; and at least one polarization-selective element arranged in the laser resonator.

Claims

1. A surface emitting semiconductor laser comprising:

a semiconductor body having at least two active zones that emit laser radiation and are connected to one another by a tunnel junction;

an external resonator mirror arranged outside the semiconductor body and forming a laser resonator; and

at least one polarization-selective element arranged in the laser resonator.

2. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the polarization-selective element is a polarization-selective grating.

3. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the polarization-selective element is arranged on a radiation exit area of the semiconductor body.

4. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the semiconductor body has a substrate and the radiation exit area is a surface of the substrate.

5. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the semiconductor body has a current spreading layer and the radiation exit area is a surface of the current spreading layer.

6. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the radiation exit area is shaped as a lens.

7. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the polarization-selective element is arranged on a surface of the external resonator mirror.

8. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the laser resonator has a folding mirror and the polarization-selective element is arranged on a surface of the folding mirror.

9. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the folding mirror is a 45°

mirror.

10. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the polarization-selective element is a polarization-selective reflective coating.

11. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the polarization-selective reflective coating has a layer sequence composed of dielectric layers.

12. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the polarization-selective reflective coating has a reflectivity R_p for p-polarized radiation and a reflectivity R_s for s-polarized radiation, where R_p/R₄<

0.95.

13. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the external resonator mirror has a reflection maximum at a first wavelength λ

₁ and the folding mirror has a reflection maximum at a second wavelength λ

₂, and wherein the wavelength λ

₁, of the emitted laser radiation lies between λ

₁ and λ

₂.

14. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a frequency conversion element is arranged in the external resonator.

15. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 14,

wherein the laser radiation has a beam waist in the region of the frequency conversion element.

16. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the polarization-selective element is arranged on a radiation exit area of the semiconductor body.

17. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the polarization-selective element is arranged on a surface of the external resonator mirror.

18. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the polarization-selective element is a polarization-selective reflective coating.

19. The surface emitting semiconductor laser as claimed in claim 11, wherein the polarization-selective reflective coating has a reflectivity R_p for p-polarized radiation and a reflectivity R_s for s-polarized radiation, where R_p/R_s<

0.95.