Laser Diode Assembly and Method for Producing a Laser Diode Assembly

• US 20130016752A1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Lell, Alfred, Straussburg, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,130,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/50.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/173 The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction
• 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 5/026 Monolithically integrated components, e.g. waveguides, monitoring photo-detectors, drivers stabilisation of output H01S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04257 having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2059 by means of particular conductivity zones, e.g. obtained by particle bombardment or diffusion
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3013 AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3095 Tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/323 in AIIIBV compounds, e.g. AlGaAs-laser, InP-based laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32341 blue laser based on GaN or GaP
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34313 with a well layer having only As as V-compound, e.g. AlGaAs, InGaAs
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4043 with vertically stacked active layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/405 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 emitting more than one wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4093 Red, green and blue [RGB] generated directly by laser action or by a combination of laser action with nonlinear frequency conversion

Abstract

A laser diode arrangement having at least one semiconductor substrate, having at least two laser stacks each having an active zone and having at least one intermediate layer. The laser stacks and the intermediate layer are grown monolithically on the semiconductor substrate. The intermediate layer is arranged between the laser stacks. The active zone of the first laser stack can be actuated separately from the active zone of the at least one further laser stack.

Claims

1. A laser diode arrangement comprising:

at least one semiconductor substrate, having at least two laser stacks each having an active zone and having at least one intermediate layer, wherein the laser stacks and the intermediate layer are grown monolithically on the semiconductor substrate,

wherein the intermediate layer is arranged between the laser stacks, and

wherein the active zone of the first laser stack can be actuated separately from the active zone of the at least one further laser stack.

2. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein separate actuation of the active zones is provided.

3. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein separate actuation of the active zones by a common p-contact is provided.

4. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein separate actuation of the active zones by separate p-contacts is provided.

5. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein separate actuation of the active zones by a common n-contact (101) is provided.

6. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each laser stack with the associated active zone has at least one laser diode.

7. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer has a tunnel diode having a low ohmic resistance.

8. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer has an insulator, in particular a crystalline electrically insulating layer.

9. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the active zones are designed such that laser diodes from different laser stacks emit electromagnetic radiation in wavelength ranges differing from one another.

10. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laser diode arrangement has at least two light sources, formed from the laser stacks, having different semiconductor substrates.

11. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vertical spacing between the laser diodes is less than about 20 μ

m, preferably less than about 5 μ

m and especially preferably less than about 2 μ

m.

12. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer facing the semiconductor substrate, which layer adjoins the active zone, is an n-waveguide and the layer facing away from the semiconductor substrate, which layer adjoins the active zone, is a p-waveguide.

13. The laser diode arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a current shield is provided between two laser stacks.

14. A method for producing a laser diode arrangement, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one semiconductor substrate;

epitaxially growing a first single light source, comprising a first laser stack (30), a first n-contact layer and a first p-contact layer;

depositing a first dielectric layer on a partial region of the first p-contact layer;

epitaxially growing an intermediate layer on the first p-contact layer epitaxially growing at least one second single light source, comprising a second laser stack, a second n-contact layer and a second p-contact layer;

depositing a second dielectric layer on a partial region of the second p-contact layer;

removing the at least two dielectric layers by means of etching or lift-off in order to expose contact surfaces; and

depositing contacts on the exposed contact surfaces and on the exposed contact layer furthest away from the substrate.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein after the step of growing a single light source and before the step of depositing a dielectric layer on a partial region of the p-contact layer the following steps are carried out:

growing an insulation layer on the contact layer;

exposing the insulation layer by etching or lift-off.

16. A laser diode arrangement comprising:

a semiconductor substrate, having at least two laser stacks based on the material system AlInGaN, each having an active zone and having at least one intermediate layer,

wherein

the laser stacks and the intermediate layer are grown monolithically on the semiconductor substrate,

the intermediate layer is arranged between the laser stacks, the active zone of the first laser stack can be actuated separately from the active zone of the at least one further laser stack,

each laser stack with the associated active zone has a laser diode,

the active zones are designed such that laser diodes from different laser stacks emit electromagnetic radiation in wavelength ranges differing from one another,

the layer facing the semiconductor substrate, which layer adjoins the active zone, is an n-waveguide and the layer facing away from the semiconductor substrate, which layer adjoins the active zone, is a p-waveguide, or vice versa, and

a current shield is provided between two laser stacks.