Method of manufacturing vertical-cavity surface emitting laser

• US 8,409,998 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Takeo, Kageyama, Iwai, Norihiro, Hiraiwa, Koji, Ikenaga, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Binh X
• Assistant Examiner(s): CATHEY JR, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US12/570,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20110076854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 438/745
• US Class Current: 438/745
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18313 by oxidizing at least one of the DBR layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18316 Airgap confined
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18327 Structure being part of a DBR H01S5/18391 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32366 (In)GaAs with small amount of N

Abstract

According to a method of manufacturing a vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser element in accordance with the present invention, a process of wet etching is performed for a part that is oxidized in a layer of an AlGaAs (42) which configures a layer having an index of refraction as lower and in which a composition of aluminum is designed to be as higher comparing to the other pairs of layers in a DBR mirror at an upper side that are formed at an inner side of a mesa post (38). And then a process of filling up again is performed with making use of a layer of polyimide (26). Moreover, an etchant that includes such as a hydrofluoric acid or a buffered hydrofluoric acid or an aqueous ammonia or the like is made use in order to perform such the process of wet etching.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a vertical-cavity surface emitting semiconductor laser element of an electrical current injection type that comprises a reflecting mirror of a multilayered film layer in which at least one first layer, having an index of refraction as lower than at least one second layer of the multilayered film layer having a higher index of refraction, is comprised of a layered film layer of a compound semiconductor which includes aluminum and which is formed to be as a mesa post, and that further comprises a selectively oxidized electrical current narrowing layer which is formed in a vicinity of the reflecting mirror of the multilayered film layer or the same is formed in the reflecting mirror of the multilayered film layer and which includes and Al_xGa_1-xAs (a>

0.9), comprising the steps of;

performing a process of a selective oxidation in order to produce said selectively oxidized electrical current narrowing layer;

removing as selectively by making use of a process of wet etching for a part in the layered film layer of the reflecting mirror of the multilayered film layer that is oxidized at said process of said selective oxidation, wherein the process of wet etching includes selectively etching at least one etched gap in the at least one first layer having the index of refraction as lower thereby forming at least one annular ring defined by the at least one etched gap; and

filling the at least one etched gap with a layer of polyimide material.

2. The method of manufacturing the surface semiconductor laser element of the vertical cavity type according to claim 1,

wherein an etching reagent that includes a hydrofluoric acid and/or an ammonium hydroxide is made use in order to perform said process of wet etching.

3. The method of manufacturing the surface emitting semiconductor laser element of the vertical cavity type according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein said process of wet etching is performed in order to remain a part that is oxidized in said selectively oxidized electrical current narrowing layer.