Long wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser

• US 5,903,586 A
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Claisse, Paul, Ramdani, Jamal, Lebby, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bovernick, Rodney
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Sung T.
• Application Number:
  US08/903,670
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 372/45, 372/96, 372/46, 257/94
• US Class Current: 372/45.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3202 grown on specifically orientated substrates, or using orientation dependent growth
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32358 containing very small amounts, usually less than 1%, of an additional III or V compound to decrease the bandgap strongly in a non-linear way by the bowing effect
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34306 emitting light at a wavelength longer than 1000nm, e.g. InP based 1300 and 1500nm lasers

Abstract

A VCSEL for emitting long wavelength light including a GaAs substrate element, a first mirror stack with mirror pairs in a GaAs/AlGaAs material system lattice matched to a GaInAsN active region with an active structure sandwiched between a first cladding region adjacent the first mirror stack, and a second cladding region. The first and second cladding regions including an InGaP/GaAs material system. The active structure includes a nitride based quantum well and either a GaAsP or a GaAs barrier layer. A second mirror stack is lattice matched to the second cladding region and has mirror pairs in a GaAs/AlGaAs material system.

Claims

1. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser for emitting long wavelength light, the vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

a GaAs substrate;

a first mirror stack disposed on the GaAs substrate;

a first cladding region including an InGaP/GaAs material system disposed on the first mirror stack;

a GaInAsN active structure including a nitride based quantum well and a barrier layer, the active structure disposed on the first cladding region;

a second cladding region including an InGaP/GaAs material system disposed on the active structure; and

a second mirror stack disposed on the second cladding region.

2. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the barrier layer is GaAsP for strain compensation.

3. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the barrier layer is GaAs.

4. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first cladding region and the second cladding region include an indium mole fraction in a range of 45-55%, thereby forming a lattice match to the GaAs substrate.

5. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the active structure, the first and second cladding regions, and the first and the second mirror stacks are configured to emit light with a wavelength in a range of approximately 1.3-1.55 micrometers.

6. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nitride based quantum well is configured with a direct energy band-gap in a range of approximately 1.0 to 0.8 eV.

7. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nitride based quantum well includes Ga_1-y In_y As_1-x N_x, wherein x has a range of 0.001-0.1 and y has a range of 0.15-0.25.

8. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nitride based quantum well includes Ga₀.75 In₀.25 As_1-x N_x, wherein x has a range of 0.001-0.1.

9. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser for emitting long wavelength light, the vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

a GaAs substrate;

a first mirror stack including mirror pairs in a GaAs/AlGaAs material system adjacent the GaAs substrate;

a GaInAsN active region including an active structure sandwiched between a first InGaP/GaAs cladding region adjacent the first mirror stack and a second InGaP/GaAs cladding region, the active structure including a nitride based quantum well and one of a GaAsP and a GaAs barrier layer; and

a second mirror stack disposed on the second InGaP/GaAs cladding region and including mirror pairs in a GaAs/AlGaAs material system.

10. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first cladding region and the second cladding region include an indium mole fraction in a range of 45-55%, thereby forming a lattice match to the GaAs substrate.

11. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first and second cladding regions are graded for more efficient carrier confinement and optical confinement in the active structure.

12. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 9 wherein the active region and the first and the second mirror stacks are configured to emit light with a wavelength in a range of approximately 1.3-1.55 micrometers.

13. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 12 wherein the nitride based quantum well is configured with a direct energy band-gap in a range of approximately 1.0 to 0.8 eV.

14. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 13 wherein the nitride based quantum well includes Ga_1-y IN_y As_1-x N_x, wherein x has a range of 0.001-0.1 and y has a range of 0.15-0.25.

15. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 14 wherein the nitride based quantum well includes Ga₀.75 In₀.25 As_1-x N_x, wherein x has a range of 0.001-0.1.