Red and blue stacked laser diode array by wafer fusion

• US 5,920,766 A
• Filed: 01/07/1998
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Floyd, Philip D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHRISTIANSON, KEITH ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/003,676
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22, 438/34, 438/35, 438/37, 438/39, 438/45, 438/46, 438/47, 438/455, 438/458, 438/459, 438/977, 372/43, 372/44, 372/50
• US Class Current: 438/35
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0213 Sapphire, quartz or diamond based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0215 Bonding to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32325 red laser based on InGaP
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32341 blue laser based on GaN or GaP
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4043 with vertically stacked active layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 emitting more than one wavelength

Abstract

A red laser structure has an inverted or p-side down orientation. The red laser structure is inverted and wafer fused to a blue laser structure to form a red/blue monolithic integrated laser structure. The top semiconductor layer of the inverted red laser structure is a GaInP fusion bonding layer which will be wafer fused to the top semiconductor layer of the blue laser structure which is a GaN cladding/contact layer.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure comprising the steps of:

fabricating an inverted first laser structure for emitting light of a first wavelength, said inverted first laser structure having a fusion layer as the uppermost semiconductor layer,

fabricating a second laser structure for emitting light of a second wavelength,

wafer fusing said fusion layer of said inverted first laser structure to the uppermost semiconductor layer of said second laser structure, and

forming contacts which enable independently addressable biasing of said first laser structure to emit light of said first wavelength and said second laser structure to emit light of said second wavelength.

2. The method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure of claim 1 wherein said first wavelength is in the red range, said second wavelength is in the blue range.

3. The method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure of claim 2 wherein said inverted first laser structure is fabricated on a substrate and a substrate removal etch stop layer and further comprising the step after wafer fusing but before forming contacts of:

removing said substrate from said inverted first laser structure.

4. The method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure of claim 2 wherein said fabricating an inverted first laser structure comprises the steps of:

deposition of a p-type first contact layer;

deposition of a p-type first cladding layer on said first contact layer;

deposition of a first confinement layer, a first active layer for emitting light of a first wavelength, and a second confinement layer forming a first active region on said first cladding layer;

deposition of a n-type second cladding layer on said second confinement layer;

deposition of a n-type second contact layer on said second cladding layer; and

deposition of said fusion layer on said second contact layer.

5. The method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure of claim 4 wherein said fabricating said second laser structure comprises the steps of:

deposition of a first substrate;

deposition of a n-type third cladding layer on said first substrate;

deposition of a third confinement layer, a second active layer for emitting light of a second wavelength, and a fourth confinement layer forming a second active region on said third cladding layer; and

deposition of a p-type fourth cladding layer on said fourth confinement layer.

6. The method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure of claim 5 wherein said fusion layer of said inverted first laser structure is wafer fused to said fourth cladding layer of said second laser structure.

7. The method of fabricating a monolithic integrated edge-emitting semiconductor laser structure of claim 6 wherein said first contact layer is deposited on a substrate removal etch stop layer, said substrate removal etch stop layer being deposited on a substrate and further comprising the step after wafer fusing but before forming contacts of:

removing said substrate from said inverted first laser structure.