Optoelectronic integrated circuit

• US 5,003,359 A
• Filed: 12/29/1989
• Issued: 03/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc.
• Original Assignee: David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc.
• Inventors: Abeles, Joseph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morse, Susan S.
• Application Number:
  US07/459,396
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 357/17, 357/19, 357/41, 357/16, 357/4, 372/50, 372/43, 372/44, 372/46, 372/47
• US Class Current: 257/20
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/15 including semiconductor components having potential barriers, specially adapted for light emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/173 formed in, or on, a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0261 Non-optical elements, e.g. laser driver components, heaters H01S5/0265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/187 using Bragg reflection

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optoelectronic integrated circuit having a substantially planar surface and which includes at least one laser diode and at least one field effect transistor. The integrated circuit comprises a substrate of semi-insulating GaAs having on a surface thereof in succession a first clad layer, a first confinement layer, a quantum well active layer, a second confinement layer, a second clad layer and an FET active layer. The FET active layer is of a material having good field effect transistor characteristics, such as N type GaAs or N type A1GaAs over a layer of undoped GaAs. The quantum well active layer is formed of alternating layers of undoped GaAs and a material which is capable of generating light of a wavelength longer than can be absorbed by the FET active layer, such as undoped InGaAs. The laser diode includes spaced contact regions of opposite conductivity type extending through the layers to the quantum well active layer. The field effect transistor comprises a groove in the FET active layer, a gate in the groove on the FET active layer and having a Schottky barrier contact with the FET active layer, and source and drain contacts on the FET active layer at opposite sides of the groove.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic integrated circuit comprising:

a body of Group III-V semiconductor materials including a N type FET active layer along a surface thereof and a optically active layer extending across the body parallel to and spaced from the FET active layer, said optically active layer being of a semiconductor material which is capable of generating light of a wavelength longer than can be absorbed in the material of the FET active layer;

a field effect transistor in said FET active layer; and

a laser diode in said body including the optically active layer.

2. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 1 in which the optically active layer is a quantum well layer.

3. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 2 in which the quantum well layer comprises alternating layers of said semiconductor material and GaAs each of which is undoped.

4. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 3 in which the semiconductor material of the quantum well layer is InGaAs.

5. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 4 including undoped clad layers on each side of the laser active layer and the FET active layer is on one of the clad layers.

6. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 5 in which each of the clad layers is of AlGaAs.

7. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 6 including an undoped confinement layer between each of the clad layers and the optically active layer.

8. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 7 in which each of the confinement layers is of AlGaAs in which the content of aluminum decreases from the clad layers to the optically active layer.

9. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 8 including a pair of spaced contact regions extending through the body from the FET active layer to at least the optically active layer, one of said contact regions being of P type conductivity and the other being of N type conductivity.

10. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 9 in which the laser diode includes a pair of spaced grooves extending through the body from the FET active layer into the clad layer adjacent the FET active layer and each of the contact regions is adjacent a separate one of said grooves.

11. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 10 in which the field effect transistor includes a groove in the FET active layer, a gate in the groove and in Schottky barrier contact with the FET active layer, and source and drain contacts on the FET active layer at opposite sides of the groove.

12. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 11 in which the FET active layer is of N type GaAs.

13. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 11 in which the FET active layer is a layer of undoped GaAs on the clad layer and a layer of N type AlGaAs on the GaAs layer, and the groove is in the AlGaAs layer.

14. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 11 including a conductive metallization pattern on the surface of the body electrically connecting the FET to the laser diode.

15. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 14 including a plurality of FETs in the FET active layer and the metallization pattern electrically connects the FETs and the laser diode in a desired circuit.

16. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 11 including a photodetector in said body, said photodetector including the optically active layer and a pair of spaced contacts extending through the body to the optically active layer.

17. An optoelectronic integrated circuit comprising:

a substrate of semi-insulating GaAs having a surface;

a first clad layer on the substrate surface;

a laser quantum well layer over the first clad layer;

a second clad layer over the quantum well layer;

an FET active layer of a Group III-V semiconductor material over the second clad layer;

a field effect transistor in said FET active layer; and

a laser diode including said clad layers and the quantum well layer;

said quantum well layer including a Group III-V semiconductor material which is capable of generating light of a wavelength longer than can be absorbed by the material of the FET active layer.

18. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 17 in which the quantum well layer comprises alternating layers of undoped GaAs and undoped InGaAs.

19. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 18 in which the clad layers are AlGaAs.

20. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 19 in which the laser diode includes spaced contact regions extending through the FET active layer, the second clad layer and the quantum well layer, one of said contact regions being of P type conductivity and the other being of N type conductivity.

21. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 20 in which the laser diode further includes spaced grooves extending through the FET active layer and the second clad layer, and each of the contact regions is along a separate one of said grooves.

22. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 20 in which the field effect transistor comprises a groove in the FET active layer, a gate in the groove and having a Schottky barrier contact with the FET active layer, and source and drain contacts on the FET active layer at opposite sides of the groove.

23. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 21 in which the FET active layer is N type GaAs.

24. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 23 including a contact layer of highly conductive GaAs over the N type GaAs layer and the source and drain contacts are on the contact layer.

25. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 22 in which the FET active layer comprises a layer of undoped GaAs on the second clad layer and a layer of N type AlGaAs on the GaAs layer and the groove is in the AlGaAs layer.

26. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 22 including an isolation region of N type conductivity extending through the layers between the FET and the laser diode.

27. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 22 including a conductive metallization pattern on the surface of the body electrically connecting the FET to the laser diode.

28. An optoelectronic integrated circuit in accordance with claim 27 including a plurality of FETs in the FET active layer and the metallization pattern electrically connects the FETs and the laser diode in a desired circuit.