Light emitting device having a defect inhibition layer

• US 5,838,705 A
• Filed: 11/04/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shieh, Chang-Long, Jiang, Wenbin, Claisse, Paul, Gaw, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bovernick, Rodney B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leung, Quyen Phan
• Application Number:
  US08/743,288
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 372/96, 372/43, 372/44, 372/45, 372/46, 257/18, 257/97, 257/98
• US Class Current: 372/45.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/173 The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/176 Specific passivation layers on surfaces other than the emission facet
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18308 having a special structure for lateral current or light confinement
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18327 Structure being part of a DBR H01S5/18391 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2059 by means of particular conductivity zones, e.g. obtained by particle bombardment or diffusion
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3201 incorporating bulkstrain effects, e.g. strain compensation, strain related to polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3211 characterised by special cladding layers, e.g. details on band-discontinuities
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3218 specially strained cladding layers, other than for strain compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34313 with a well layer having only As as V-compound, e.g. AlGaAs, InGaAs

Abstract

A first stack (112) of distributed Bragg reflectors, a first cladding region (114) disposed on the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors (112) and including a defect inhibition layer (117) an active area (122) disposed on the first cladding region (114), a second cladding region (132) disposed on the active area (122) and including a defective inhibition layer (136), and a second stack (140) of distributed Bragg reflectors disposed on the second cladding region (132). The defect inhibition layers (117, 136) substantially prevent defects in the active area (122).

Claims

1. A light emitting device having a defect inhibition layer comprising:

a first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors including alternating layers of differing refractive indexes with the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors having a first dopant type and a first concentration;

a first cladding region disposed on the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors;

an active area disposed on the first cladding region;

a second cladding region disposed on the active area;

the first and second cladding regions and the active area being formed of material selected from the group GaAs and AlGaAs;

a second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors disposed on the second cladding region, the second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors including alternating layers of differing refractive indexes with the second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors having a second dopant type and a second dopant concentration; and

a defect inhibition area including a thin layer formed of one of indium gallium arsenide, indium gallium arsenide phosphide and indium gallium phosphide positioned within one of the first and second cladding regions.

2. A light emitting device having a defect inhibition layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defect inhibition area is a layer of material with a thickness in a range from a monomolecular layer to 1,000 Angstroms.

3. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser having a defect inhibition layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors includes alternating layers made of aluminum gallium arsenide having alternating concentrations of aluminum.

4. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser having a defect inhibition layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors includes alternating layers made of aluminum gallium arsenide having alternating concentrations of aluminum.

5. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser having a defect inhibition layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first plurality of alternating layers of differing refractive indexes differ by at least 0.05.

6. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser having a defect inhibition layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second plurality of alternating layers of differing refractive indexes differ by at least 0.05.

7. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser having a defect inhibition layer comprising:

a first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors including a first plurality of alternating layers having differing refractive indexes with the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors having a first dopant type and a first concentration;

a first cladding region disposed on the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors, the first cladding region including a first gallium arsenide layer, a first indium gallium arsenide layer, and a second gallium arsenide layer, the first gallium arsenide layer being disposed on the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors, the first indium gallium arsenide layer being disposed on the first gallium arsenide layer, and the second gallium arsenide layer being disposed on the first indium gallium arsenide layer;

an active area disposed on the first cladding region the active area being formed of a material selected from the group GaAs and AlGaAs;

a second cladding region disposed on the active area, the second cladding region including a third gallium arsenide layer, a second indium gallium arsenide layer, and a fourth gallium arsenide layer, the third gallium arsenide layer being disposed on the active area, the second indium gallium arsenide layer being disposed on the third gallium arsenide layer, and the fourth gallium arsenide layer being disposed on the second indium gallium arsenide layer; and

a second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors disposed on the second cladding region, the second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors having a second plurality of alternating layers having differing refractive indexes with the second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors having a second dopant type and a second dopant concentration.