Asymmetric InGaAsN vertical cavity surface emitting lasers

• US 6,813,295 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Tetsuya, Chang, Ying-Lan, Bour, David P., Leary, Michael H., Tan, Michael R. T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vy, Hung Tran
• Application Number:
  US10/106,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 372/43-46, 372/96, 438/45, 257/98, 257/43
• US Class Current: 372/45.01
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/04 MOCVD or MOVPE
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18313 by oxidizing at least one of the DBR layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3095 Tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32366 (In)GaAs with small amount of N

Abstract

Various asymmetric InGaAsN VCSEL structures that are made using an MOCVD process are presented. Use of the asymmetric structure effectively eliminates aluminum contamination of the quantum well active region.

Claims

1. An asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate;

one of said semiconductor layers comprising a quantum well active layer;

a first reflector comprising Al located on one side of said quantum well active layer and a second reflector located on the opposite side of said quantum well active layer; and

one of said semiconductor layers being an unpaired non-active layer comprising nitrogen, said unpaired non-active layer comprising nitrogen being located between said quantum well active layer and said first reflector creating a layer asymmetry about said quantum well active layer.

2. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser of claim 1 wherein said non-active layer is separated from said quantum well active layer by a distance of at least about 200 Å

.

3. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 wherein said non-active layer comprises Al, Ga, As and N.

4. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 wherein said non-active layer comprises GaAs₁₋

xN_x.

5. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 4 wherein the value of x lies between 0 and 0.1.

6. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 wherein said non-active layer comprising nitrogen has a thickness of about 600 Å

.

7. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 with said quantum well active layer comprising In, Ga, As and N.

8. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 with two of said plurality of semiconductor layers comprising a tunnel junction.

9. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 wherein said non-active layer comprising nitrogen further comprises InGaP.

10. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 1 with two of said plurality of semiconductor layers comprising a tunnel junction.

11. An asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure comprising:

a substrate comprising GaAs;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate;

a plurality of said plurality of semiconductor layers being quantum well active layers, said quantum well active layers comprising In, Ga, As and N;

a first reflector located on one side of said quantum well active layers and a second reflector located on the opposite side of said quantum well active layers;

a first cladding layer located between said first reflector and said quantum well active layers;

a second cladding layer positioned between said second reflector and said quantum well active layers; and

one of said semiconductor layers being a non-active layer comprising nitrogen, said non-active layer comprising nitrogen located between said first cladding layer and said first reflector creating a layer asymmetry about said quantum well active layer.

12. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser of claim 11 wherein said non-active layer is separated from said quantum well active layers by a distance of at least about 200 Å

.

13. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 11 with said quantum well active layers comprising In, Ga, As and N.

14. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 11 with said first cladding layer comprising Ga and As.

15. An asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate;

one of said semiconductor layers comprising an quantum well active layer;

a first reflector located on the same side of said quantum well active layer as said substrate and a second reflector located on the opposite side of said quantum well active layer;

a first cladding layer located between said first reflector and said quantum well active layer;

a second cladding layer positioned between said second reflector and said quantum well active layer; and

one of said semiconductor layers being a non-active layer comprising In, Ga, As, P and N, said non-active layer located between said first cladding layer and said first reflector.

16. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 15 wherein said non-active layer has a thickness of about 600 Å

.

17. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser of claim 15 wherein said non-active layer is separated from said quantum well active layer by a distance of at least about 200 Å

.

18. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 15 wherein said non-active layer comprises GaAs₁₋

xN_x.

19. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 18 wherein the value of x lies between 0 and 0.1.

20. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 15 with two of said plurality of semiconductor layers comprising a tunnel junction.

21. An asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on said substrate;

one of said semiconductor layers comprising an quantum well active layer;

a first reflector comprising Al located on one side of said quantum well active layer and a second reflector located on the opposite side of said quantum well active layer; and

one of said semiconductor layers being a non-active layer comprising Al, Ga, As and N, said non-active layer being located between said quantum well active layer and said substrate.

22. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser of claim 21 wherein said non-active layer is separated from said quantum well layer by a distance of at least about 200 Å

.

23. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 21 wherein said non-active layer is located in said first reflector.

24. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 21 wherein said non-active layer comprises GaAs₁₋

xN_x.

25. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 24 wherein the value of x lies between 0 and 0.1.

26. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 21 wherein said non-active layer comprising nitrogen has a thickness of about 600 Å

.

27. The asymmetric vertical cavity surface emitting laser structure of claim 21 with said quantum well active layer comprising In, Ga, As and N.