Long wavelength surface-emitting semiconductor laser device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 6,621,843 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2001
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Ju, Young-Gu, Kwon, O-Kyun, Yoo, Byueng-Su
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Eddie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Warren, Matthew E.
• Application Number:
  US09/842,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 372/45, 372/98, 372/99, 372/103, 372/107, 372/68, 372/46
• US Class Current: 372/45.013
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• 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 5/18316 Airgap confined
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18333 only above the active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2009 by using electron barrier layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2072 obtained by vacancy induced diffusion
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3054 p-doping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34306 emitting light at a wavelength longer than 1000nm, e.g. InP based 1300 and 1500nm lasers

Abstract

Disclosed is a surface-emitting laser device which eliminates an absorption loss of a p-type doped layer and reduces a scattering loss in a mirror layer and a carrier loss due to a current induction, comprising a first conductive type of semiconductor substrate; a bottom mirror layer formed on the semiconductor substrate and composed of a first conductive type of semiconductor layer; an active layer formed on the bottom mirror layer; an electron leakage barrier layer formed on the active layer and having an energy gap larger than the active layer; a current induction layer formed on the electron leakage barrier layer and a second conductive type of semiconductor layer; a current extension layer formed on the current induction layer and composed of the second conductive type of semiconductor layer; and a top mirror layer formed on the current extension layer, wherein the top mirror layer includes undoped center portion and its both end having the second conductive type of dopant diffusion region.

Claims

1. A surface-emitting laser device, comprising:

a first conductive type of semiconductor substrate;

a bottom mirror layer formed on the semiconductor substrate and composed of a first conductive type of semiconductor layer;

an active layer formed on the bottom mirror layer;

an electron leakage barrier layer formed on the active layer and having an energy gap larger than the active layer;

a current induction layer formed on the electron leakage barrier layer and a second conductive type of semiconductor layer;

a current extension layer formed on the current induction layer and composed of the second conductive type of semiconductor layer; and

a top mirror layer formed on the current extension layer, wherein the top mirror layer includes an undoped center portion, and both its ends having the second conductive type of dopant diffusion region.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the dopant diffusion region is a Zn diffusion region.

3. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the current extension layer has a larger area relative to the current induction layer.

4. The device as recited in claim 3, wherein the current induction layer is overlapped with the center portion of the top mirror layer.

5. The device as recited in claim 4, further comprising an insulating layer for covering each side well of the top mirror layer and the current extension layer to thereby provide an air layer between its one side, the current extension layer, the current induction layer and the electron leakage barrier layer.

6. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the top mirror layer and the bottom mirror layer have a layered structure formed by alternatively layering a plurality of semiconductor layers having different indices of refraction.

7. The device as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

a first electrode connected with the top mirror layer; and

a second electrode connected with the semiconductor substrate.

8. The device as recited in claim 2, wherein the active layer includes a quantum well layer and a space layer.

9. The device as recited in claim 6, wherein a thickness of one cycle composed of the plurality of semiconductor layers having different indices of refraction is a half times a laser oscillation wavelength as an optical length.

10. The device as recited in claim 6, wherein the semiconductor substrate is an InP-based substrate;

and

wherein each of the bottom mirror layer and the top mirror layer is made of an InAlAs/InAlGaAs, InGaAsP/InP, In_x(Al_yGa_1-yAs/In_x′

(Al_y′

Ga_1-y′

)_1x′

As and In_xGa_1-xAs_yP_1-y/In_x′

Ga_1-x′

As_y′

P_1-y′

lattice-matched to InP, wherein x, x′

, y and y′

are real numbers between zero and one, respectively, and x≠

x′ and

y≠

y′

.

11. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein the active layer is made of InAlGaAs/InAlAs, InAlGaAs/InGaAsP and InAlGaAs/InP;

and a thickness of the active layer is ½

integral multiples of the laser oscillation wavelength.

12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the current extension layer is composed of a semiconductor layer lattice matched to InP.

13. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the current induction layer is made of InP, InGaAsP or InAlGaAs lattice matched to InP and has the range of 5 to 50 micrometers in width.

14. A surface-emitting laser device, comprising:

a first conductive type of semiconductor substrate;

a bottom mirror layer formed on the semiconductor substrate and composed of a first conductive type of semiconductor layer;

an active layer formed on the bottom mirror layer;

a current extension layer formed on the active layer and composed of the second conductive type of semiconductor layer; and

a top mirror layer formed on the active layer, wherein the top mirror layer includes an undoped center portion, and both its ends having the second conductive type of dopant diffusion region.

15. The device as recited in claim 14, comprising a current extension layer for covering the active layer, wherein the current extension layer is composed of the second conductive type of semiconductor layer with a larger area relative to the active layer.

16. The device as recited in claim 15, wherein the active layer is overlapped with the center portion of the top mirror layer.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, further comprising an insulating layer for covering each side well of the top mirror layer and the current extension layer to thereby provide an air layer between its one side, the current extension layer, the active layer and the bottom mirror layer.

18. The device as recited in claim 14, wherein the dopant diffusion region is a Zn diffusion region.

19. A method for the fabrication of a surface-emitting laser device, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a bottom mirror layer composed of a first conductive type of semiconductor layer on a first conductive type of semiconductor substrate;

(b) disposing an active layer on the bottom mirror layer;

(c) sequentially forming on the active layer, an electron leakage barrier layer, a current induction layer and a current extension layer each of which is composed of a second conductive type of semiconductor layer

(d) forming a top mirror layer composed of an undoped semiconductor layer on the current extension layer;

(e) forming a mask pattern on the top mirror layer;

(f) selectively etching a portion of the top mirror layer using the mask pattern as an etch mask to thereby form a laser column composed of the top mirror layer;

(g) forming the second conductive type of dopant diffusion layer at both ends of the top mirror layer using the mask pattern as an etch mask;

(h) etching the top mirror layer and the current extension layer using the mask pattern as the etch mask, until the current induction layer is exposed;

(i) wet etching the current induction layer to form a pattern which overlaps with the top mirror layer at between the second conductive type of dopant diffusion layers; and

(j) removing the mask pattern.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising, after step (j), the step of forming an insulating layer for covering each side well of the top mirror layer and the current extension layer to thereby provide an air layer between its one side, the current extension layer, the current induction layer and the electron leakage barrier layer.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein at step (c), the current induction layer is made of one of InP and InGaAsP, and each of the electron leakage barrier layer and the current extension layer is made of InAlGaAs;

at step (d), the top mirror layer is made of InAlGaAs; and

at step (i), the current induction layer is wet etched by utilizing a mixed solution of HCl, H₂O and H₂O₂.

22. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein at step (c), the current induction layer is made of InAlGaAs, and each of the electron leakage barrier layer and the current extension layer is made of one of InP and InGaAsP;

at step (d), the top mirror layer is made of one of InP and InGaAsP; and

at step (i), the current induction layer is wet etched by utilizing a mixed solution of H₂PO₄, H₂O and H₂O₂.

23. The method as recited in any one of claims 19, wherein at step (g), the dopant diffusion region is formed by diffusing Zn.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein at step (g), the Zn₃P₂ is heat-treated at temperatures ranging from 400°

C. to 500°

C., and the dopant diffusion region is formed by diffusing Zn into both ends of the top mirror layer.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein at step (a), the bottom mirror layer is formed by alternatively stacking a plurality of the first conductive type of semiconductor layers which is lattice matched to the semiconductor substrate and has different indices of refraction;

and

at step (d), the top mirror layer is formed by alternatively stacking a plurality of undoped semiconductor layers having different indices of refraction.

26. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the mask pattern is formed of a silicon nitride film.

27. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising the step of forming a first metal electrode connected with the top mirror layer and a second metal electrode connected with the semiconductor substrate.

28. A method for the fabrication of a surface-emitting laser device, comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a bottom mirror layer composed of a first conductive type of semiconductor layer on a first conductive type of semiconductor substrate;

(b) disposing an active layer on the bottom mirror layer;

(c) forming a current extension layer composed of a second conductive type of semiconductor layer on the active layer;

(d) forming a top mirror layer composed of an undoped semiconductor layer on the current extension layer;

(e) forming a mask pattern on the top mirror layer;

(f) selectively etching a portion of the top mirror layer using the mask pattern as an etch mask to thereby form a laser column composed of the top mirror layer;

(g) forming the second conductive type of dopant diffusion layer at both ends of the top mirror layer using the mask pattern as an etch mask;

(h) etching the top mirror layer and the current extension layer using the mask pattern as the etch mask, until the active layer is exposed;

(i) wet etching the active layer to form a pattern which overlaps with the top mirror layer at between the second conductive type of dopant diffusion layers; and

(j) removing the mask pattern.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, further comprising, after step (j), the step of forming an insulating layer for covering each side well of the top mirror layer and the current extension layer to thereby provide an air layer between its one side, the current extension layer, the active layer and the bottom mirror layer.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein at step (g), the dopant diffusion region is formed by diffusing Zn.