Method of passivating etched mirror facets of semiconductor laser diodes
First Claim
1. A method of passivating etched mirror facets of a semiconductor laser diode, comprising the steps of:
- a) wet-etching the surfaces of etched mirror facets of a semiconductor laser diode so as to substantially remove any surface layer mechanically damaged during prior mirror etch processes;
b) applying a passivation pre-treatment to remove any residual surface oxides which may remain after the wet etching of and form a sub-monolayer that remains chemically stable during device lifetime, thereby substantially reducing the number of non-radiative minority carrier recombination centers at the etched mirror facets; and
c) coating the pre-treated mirror facet with a passivation layer that does not react with the interface of the mirror facet, thereby preventing the diffusion of elements capable of reacting with the mirror facet interface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of passivating etched mirror facets of semiconductor laser diodes which enhances device reliability.
The etched mirror facet is first subjected to a weet-etch process to substantially remove any native oxide as well as any surface layer which may have been mechanically damaged during the preceding mirror etch process. Then, a passivation pre-treatment is applied whereby any residual oxygen is removed and a sub-monolayer is formed which permanently reduces the non-radiative recombination of minority carriers at the mirror facet. Finally, the pre-treated mirror surface is coated with a passivation layer to avoid any environmental effect on the mirror.
194 Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method of passivating etched mirror facets of a semiconductor laser diode, comprising the steps of:
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a) wet-etching the surfaces of etched mirror facets of a semiconductor laser diode so as to substantially remove any surface layer mechanically damaged during prior mirror etch processes; b) applying a passivation pre-treatment to remove any residual surface oxides which may remain after the wet etching of and form a sub-monolayer that remains chemically stable during device lifetime, thereby substantially reducing the number of non-radiative minority carrier recombination centers at the etched mirror facets; and c) coating the pre-treated mirror facet with a passivation layer that does not react with the interface of the mirror facet, thereby preventing the diffusion of elements capable of reacting with the mirror facet interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification