Long wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser with oxidation layers and method of fabrication

• US 5,956,363 A
• Filed: 08/15/1997
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramdani, Jamal, Jiang, Wenbin, Lebby, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davie, James W.
• Application Number:
  US08/912,940
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 372/96, 372/45, 372/46
• US Class Current: 372/46.013
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/163 Single longitudinal mode
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/166 Single transverse or lateral mode
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18311 using selective oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18333 only above the active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3202 grown on specifically orientated substrates, or using orientation dependent growth
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32366 (In)GaAs with small amount of N
• 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 and method of fabrication including a substrate element, a first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors, a first oxide layer, a GaInAsN active region with an active structure sandwiched between a first cladding region adjacent the first oxide layer and a second cladding region, the active structure including a nitride based quantum well, a second oxide layer adjacent the active region, and a second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors adjacent the second oxide layer.

Claims

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

a substrate having a surface;

a first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors disposed on the surface of the substrate;

a first oxide layer disposed on the first stack of distributed Bragg reflectors, and including an aperture formed therein;

a GaInAsN active region including a nitride based quantum well, the active region being disposed on the first oxide layer;

a second oxide layer disposed on the active region, and including an aperture formed therein; and

a second stack of distributed Bragg reflectors disposed on the second oxide layer.

2. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the active region and the first and the second stacks of distributed Bragg reflectors are configured to emit light with a wavelength in a range of approximately 1.3-1.6 micrometers.

3. 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 0.775-0.954 eV.

4. 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.

5. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nitride based quantum well includes Ga₀.75 In₀.25 N_x As_x-1.

6. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 5 wherein x has a range of 0.00-0.1.

7. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer are formed of aluminum arsenide.

8. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer are formed of an aluminum arsenide material having a percentage of one of gallium (Ga) and indium (In) as a part thereof, in addition to one of nitride (N) and phosphide (P).

9. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 8 wherein the aluminum has a mole fraction of greater than 90 percent.

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

a substrate having a surface;

a first mirror stack disposed on the substrate;

a first oxide layer disposed on the first mirror stack, and including an aperture formed therein;

a GaInAsN active region including an active structure sandwiched between a first cladding region adjacent the first oxide layer and a second cladding region, the active structure including a nitride based quantum well;

a second oxide layer disposed on the active region, and including an aperture formed therein; and

a second mirror stack disposed on the second oxide layer.

11. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 10 wherein the active structure includes a first barrier layer, a second barrier layer, and a quantum well with the quantum well being positioned therebetween.

12. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 11 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 1.3-1.6 micrometers.

13. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer are formed of aluminum arsenide.

14. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first oxide layer and the second oxide layer are formed of an aluminum arsenide material having a percentage of one of gallium (Ga) and indium (In) as a part thereof, in addition to one of nitride (N) and phosphide (P).

15. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser as claimed in claim 14 wherein the aluminum has a mole fraction of greater than 90 percent.