Vertical cavity surface emitting laser including indium and nitrogen in the active region

• US 7,408,964 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Johnson, Ralph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Dung T
• Application Number:
  US10/026,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20030118068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,420 Days
• Field of Search: 372/43, 372/45, 372/46, 372/43.01
• US Class Current: 372/43.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3211 characterised by special cladding layers, e.g. details on band-discontinuities
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32366 (In)GaAs with small amount of N
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34346 characterised by the materials of the barrier layers

Abstract

Quantum wells and associated barriers layers can be grown to include nitrogen (N), aluminum (Al), antimony (Sb), phosphorous (P) and/or indium (In) placed within or about a typical GaAs substrate to achieve long wavelength VCSEL performance, e.g., within the 1260 to 1650 nm range. In accordance with features of the present invention, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) can include at least one quantum well comprised of InGaAsN; barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well; and confinement layers sandwiching said barrier layers. Confinement and barrier layers can comprise AlGaAs, GaAsN. Barrier layers can also comprise InGaAsN. Quantum wells can also include Sb. Quantum wells can be developed up to and including 50 Å in thickness. Quantum wells can also be developed with a depth of at least 40 meV.

Claims

1. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well and including barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well, at least one of the quantum well and the barrier layers including nitrogen, wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb;

upper and lower confinement layers sandwiching said active region, wherein the barrier layers and/or the upper and lower confinement layers are comprised of material that reduces a level of non-confining valence band discontinuity in the quantum well due to the presence of nitrogen in the quantum well, wherein said barrier layers are comprised of InGaAs and wherein said confinement layers are comprised of GaAsN; and

a flattening layer interposed between the lower confinement layer and the at least one quantum well.

2. The VCSEL of claim 1 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

3. The VCSEL of claim 1 wherein said at least one quantum well further comprises >

1% N.

4. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well comprised of InGaAsN and including InGaAsN barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well; and

AlGaAs confinement layers sandwiching said active regions.

5. The VCSEL of claim 4 wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb.

6. The VCSEL of claim 4 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

7. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well comprised of InGaAsN and including AlGaAs barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well; and

AlGaAs confinement layers sandwiching said active region.

8. The VCSEL of claim 7 wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb.

9. The VCSEL of claim 7 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

10. The VCSEL of claim 7 wherein said AlGaAs barrier layers are further comprised of N.

11. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well comprised of InGaAsN and including InGaAs barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well; and

AlGaAs confinement layers sandwiching said active region.

12. The VCSEL of claim 11 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

13. The VCSEL of claim 11 wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb.

14. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well comprised of InGaAsN and including InGaAsN barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well; and

GaAsN confinement layers sandwiching said active regions.

15. The VCSEL of claim 14 wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb.

16. The VCSEL of claim 14 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

17. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well comprised of InGaAsN and including AlGaAs barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well; and

GaAsN confinement layers sandwiching said active region.

18. The VCSEL of claim 17 wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb.

19. The VCSEL of claim 17 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

20. The VCSEL of claim 17 wherein said AlGaAs barrier layers are further comprised of N.

21. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), comprising:

an active region further comprising at least one quantum well and including barrier layers sandwiching said at least one quantum well, at least one of the quantum well and the barrier layers including nitrogen, wherein said at least one quantum well is further comprised of Sb;

upper and lower confinement layers sandwiching said active region, wherein the barrier layers and/or the upper and lower confinement layers are comprised of material that reduces a level of non-confining valence band discontinuity in the quantum well due to the presence of nitrogen in the quantum well, wherein said confinement layers are comprised of AlGaAs; and

a flattening layer interposed between the lower confinement layer and the at least one quantum well.

22. The VCSEL of claim 21 wherein said barrier layers are comprised of GaAsN.

23. The VCSEL of claim 21 wherein said at least one quantum well further comprises >

1% N.

24. The VCSEL of claim 21 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

25. The VCSEL of claim 23 wherein said at least one quantum well is up to and including 50 Å

in thickness.

26. The VCSEL of claim 21 wherein said barrier layers are comprised of InGaAs.