Semiconductor laser with vertical resonator

• US 5,255,278 A
• Filed: 07/10/1992
• Issued: 10/19/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamanaka, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia Y.
• Application Number:
  US07/911,577
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 372/45, 372/96, 372/99, 372/102, 372/27
• US Class Current: 372/45.01
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1809 with pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/166 Single transverse or lateral mode
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18355 having a defined polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18361 Structure of the reflectors, e.g. hybrid mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18375 based on metal reflectors
• 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 5/18386 Details of the emission surface for influencing the near- or far-field, e.g. a grating on the surface

Abstract

The invention relates to a semiconductor laser with a resonator constructed on and vertical to a substrate surface. The vertical resonator has a first reflector mirror which is a multilayer laminate mirror formed on the substrate surface, an active region on the first mirror and a second reflector mirror region including a multilayer laminate mirror on the active region and a metal layer at the top. The second mirror region is provided with a phase grating layer which is adjacent to and in contact with the metal layer and has a periodical structure in a direction in a transversal plane with a period not longer than the laser oscillation wavelength. For example, the grating layer is a relief layer having parallel grooves in the upper surface, and the grooves are filled up with a bottom part of the metal layer. The grating layer differentiates the reflectance of the second reflector mirror region depending on the direction of polarization of incident light. Therefore it is possible to emit laser light polarized in a specific direction.

Claims

1. A semiconductor laser device comprising a semiconductor substrate and a vertical resonator constructed on the substrate, the vertical resonator comprising:

a first reflector mirror region which comprises a multilayer laminate mirror formed on a surface of said substrate;

an active layer which comprises a double heterojunction and is formed on said first reflector mirror region; and

a second reflector mirror region comprising a multilayer laminate mirror formed on said active region, a phase grating layer which has a periodical structure in a plane parallel to a transversal plane with a period not longer than the laser oscillation wavelength and a metal layer which is formed on and in contact with said grating layer.

2. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 1, wherein said grating layer is a relief layer having a plurality of parallel grooves in the upper surface, said grooves being filled up with a bottom part of said metal layer.

3. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 2, wherein said grating layer is a GaAs layer.

4. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 1, wherein said grating layer is formed of an alternate arrangement of a plurality of first parallel stripes of a first material and a plurality of second parallel stripes of a second material which differs in refractivity from said first material.

5. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 4, wherein said first and second materials are AlAs and GaAs, respectively.

6. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 1, wherein the multilayer laminate mirror of each of said first and second reflector mirror regions is an alternate arrangement of a plurality of GaAs layers and a plurality AlAs layers.

7. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 6, wherein each of said GaAs layers and said AlAs layers has a thickness equivalent to a quarter of the laser oscillation wavelength.

8. A semiconductor laser device according to claim 1, wherein said active region comprises quantum wells of InGaAs sandwiched between two AlGaAs layers.