Nitride based semiconductor structures with highly reflective mirrors

• US 6,967,981 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chua, Christopher L., Bour, David P., Kneissl, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONBLEAU, DAVIENNE N
• Application Number:
  US10/159,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20030231683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 372/43, 372/45, 372/46, 372/87, 372/50
• US Class Current: 372/46.01
• 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 5/0216 using an intermediate compound, e.g. a glue or solder
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04253 having specific optical properties, e.g. transparent electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04256 characterised by the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04257 having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18341 Intra-cavity contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18358 containing spacer layers to adjust the phase of the light wave in the cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18369 based on dielectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3095 Tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 having a vertical cavity

Abstract

A nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure has highly reflective mirrors on opposite sides of the active layer. These highly reflective mirrors can be distributed Bragg reflectors or metal terminated layer stacks of dielectric materials. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure can be vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a light emitting diode (LED), or a photodetector (PD), or a combination of these devices.

Claims

1. A nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a lower mirror including a first side and a second side, the first side of the lower mirror coupled to the substrate;

a plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers, coupled to the second side of the lower mirror by a noncrystalline interface material, said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers forming a resonant cavity, at least one of said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers forming an active region;

an upper mirror on said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers, opposite said lower mirror; and

electrodes on two of said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers to bias said active region.

2. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

3. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 2 wherein a sufficient forward bias is applied to said active region to cause lasing from said resonant cavity through a surface of said semiconductor structure.

4. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure is a light emitting diode.

5. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 4 wherein a sufficient forward bias is applied to said active region to cause light emission from said resonant cavity through a surface of said semiconductor structure.

6. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure is a photodetector.

7. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 6 wherein a sufficient reverse bias is applied to said active region to cause light absorption from said resonant cavity.

8. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein a plurality of resonant cavities are formed, said plurality of resonant cavities being at least two of said group of vertical cavity surface emitting laser, light emitting diode and photodetector.

9. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein at least one of said electrodes is a transparent electrode between said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers and said upper mirror.

10. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 9 wherein said transparent electrode is an indium tin oxide layer.

11. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 9 wherein said transparent electrode is a zinc oxide layer.

12. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 further comprising a mesh electrode between said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers and said upper mirror.

13. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said lower mirror is a distributed Bragg reflector and said upper mirror is a distributed Bragg reflector.

14. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said lower mirror is a dielectric material layer on a metallic layer and said upper mirror is a dielectric material layer on a metallic layer.

15. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said lower mirror is a distributed Bragg reflector and said upper mirror is a dielectric material layer on a metallic layer.

16. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said lower mirror is a dielectric material layer on a metallic layer and said upper mirror is a distributed Bragg reflector.

17. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said active region further comprises three groups of quantum wells, each group having five quantum wells.

18. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two electrodes is a transparent electrode between said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers and said upper mirror, wherein the optical field of said light emitted from said active region is at a null at said transparent electrode.

19. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two electrodes is a transparent electrode between said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers and said upper mirror, wherein the thickness of said transparent electrode is an integral number of the resonant half-wavelength of light emitted from said active region.

20. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a metallic host substrate on said lower mirror, opposite said plurality of III–

V nitride semiconductor layers.

21. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the entire lower mirror is noncrystal line.

22. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the upper mirror is noncrystalline.

23. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the lower mirror is a dielectric.

24. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the lower mirror is deposited using an evaporation process.

25. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the lower mirror is deposited using a sputtering process.

26. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a good thermoconductor.

27. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 26 wherein the substrate is a metal.

28. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 27 wherein the metal is electroplated copper.

29. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 26 wherein the lower mirror is bonded to the substrate.

30. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the lower mirror and the upper mirror are both dielectric mirrors.

31. A resonant cavity semiconductor structure comprising:

a substrate;

a lower mirror including a first side and a second side, the first side of the lower mirror being coupled to the substrate;

a plurality of III–

V semiconductor layers, coupled to the second side of the lower mirror by a noncrystalline interface material, said plurality of III–

V semiconductor layers forming a resonant cavity, at least one of said plurality of III–

V semiconductor layers forming an active region;

an upper mirror on said plurality of III–

V semiconductor layers, opposite said lower mirror; and

electrodes on two of said plurality of III–

V semiconductor layers to bias said active region.

32. A resonant cavity structure comprising:

two or more epitaxial III–

V semiconductor layers, the semiconductor layers having an earlier side and a later side opposite each other, the semiconductor layers having been deposited from the earlier side to the later side;

the semiconductor layers including an active region between the earlier side and the later side;

the earlier side having been prepared for deposition of material after completion of the later side;

a first set of layers deposited on the later side of the semiconductor layers;

the first set of layers including a first mirror;

a second set of layers deposited on the earlier side of the semiconductor layers;

the second set of layers including a second mirror;

the structure including a resonant cavity between the first and second mirrors; and

a host substrate;

one of the first and second mirrors being a lower mirror and the other being an upper mirror;

the set of layers that includes the lower mirror having first and second opposite sides;

the host substrate being on the first side and the second side being attached to the semiconductor layers by non-crystalline interface material.

33. The resonant cavity structure of claim 32 in which the semiconductor layers include nitrides.

34. A method of producing a resonant cavity structure as in claim 32, the method comprising:

epitaxially depositing the two or more semiconductor layers from the earlier side to the later side; and

depositing the first set of layers on the later side;

preparing the earlier side for deposition of material and depositing the second set of layers on the earlier side.

35. The method of claim 34 in which the act of epitaxially depositing is performed over a deposition substrate, the earlier side being disposed toward the deposition substrate and the later side being disposed away from the deposition substrate.

36. The method of claim 35 in which the act of epitaxially depositing comprises:

depositing a sacrificial layer between the earlier side and the deposition substrate;

the act of depositing the first set of layers and preparing the earlier side and depositing the second set of layers comprising;

depositing the first set of layers on the later side;

attaching a temporary support over the first set of layers;

decomposing the sacrificial layer to remove the deposition substrate and exposing the earlier side;

preparing the earlier side for deposition of material; and

depositing the second set of layers on the earlier side of the semiconductor layers;

the method further comprising;

depositing or attaching the host substrate on the second set of layers and removing the temporary support.

37. The method of claim 35 in which the act of depositing the first set of layers and preparing the earlier side and depositing the second set of layers comprises:

removing the semiconductor layers from the deposition substrate; and

preparing the earlier side of the removed semiconductor layers for deposition of material.

38. The method of claim 37 in which the act of preparing the earlier side for deposition of material comprises:

trimming a layer that includes GaN to a thickness of 300 nm.

39. The resonant cavity structure of claim 32 in which the non-crystalline interface material is an interface between epitaxial and non-epitaxial material.