Facet on a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A gallium and nitrogen containing laser device, the device comprising:
- a gallium and nitrogen containing surface having either a nonpolar orientation or a semipolar orientation;
a cladding region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface, the cladding region having an AlN mol fraction of less than about 2%;
a cavity region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface and configured in alignment in substantially a c-direction or a projection of the c-direction, the cavity region being characterized by a first end and a second end;
the first end comprising a first etched facet;
the second end comprising a second etched facet wherein the first etched facet and the second etched facet are at an angle of between 87 degrees and 93 degrees from the gallium and nitrogen containing surface, and the first etched facet and the second etched facet have a root mean square roughness of 50 nm or less;
a first optical coating overlying the first etched facet, wherein the first optical coating is configured to increase a reflectivity of the first etched facet to a laser beam generated in the cavity region, the first optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of tantalum pentoxide;
wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire first etched facet, and the second layer of tantalum pentoxide covers the entire first layer; and
a second optical coating overlying the second etched facet, wherein the second optical coating is configured to reduce a reflectivity of the second etched facet to the laser beam generated in the cavity region, the second optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of Al2O3, wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire second etched facet and is configured as a passivation layer, and the second layer of Al2O3 covers the entire first layer and is configured to reduce the reflectivity of the second etched facet, the second optical coating having a substantially uniform thickness across the second etched facet.
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Abstract
Nonpolar or semipolar laser diode technology incorporating etched facet mirror formation and conventional optical coating layer techniques for reflectivity modification to enable a method for ultra-high catastrophic optical mirror damage thresholds for high power laser diodes are disclosed.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A gallium and nitrogen containing laser device, the device comprising:
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a gallium and nitrogen containing surface having either a nonpolar orientation or a semipolar orientation; a cladding region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface, the cladding region having an AlN mol fraction of less than about 2%; a cavity region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface and configured in alignment in substantially a c-direction or a projection of the c-direction, the cavity region being characterized by a first end and a second end;
the first end comprising a first etched facet;
the second end comprising a second etched facet wherein the first etched facet and the second etched facet are at an angle of between 87 degrees and 93 degrees from the gallium and nitrogen containing surface, and the first etched facet and the second etched facet have a root mean square roughness of 50 nm or less;a first optical coating overlying the first etched facet, wherein the first optical coating is configured to increase a reflectivity of the first etched facet to a laser beam generated in the cavity region, the first optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of tantalum pentoxide;
wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire first etched facet, and the second layer of tantalum pentoxide covers the entire first layer; anda second optical coating overlying the second etched facet, wherein the second optical coating is configured to reduce a reflectivity of the second etched facet to the laser beam generated in the cavity region, the second optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of Al2O3, wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire second etched facet and is configured as a passivation layer, and the second layer of Al2O3 covers the entire first layer and is configured to reduce the reflectivity of the second etched facet, the second optical coating having a substantially uniform thickness across the second etched facet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A gallium and nitrogen containing laser device, the device comprising:
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a gallium and nitrogen containing surface having either a nonpolar orientation or a semipolar orientation; a cladding region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface;
the cladding region having an AlN mol fraction of less than about 2%;a cavity region overlying the cladding region and configured in alignment in substantially a c-direction or a projection of the c-direction, the cavity region being characterized by a first end and a second end;
the first end comprising a first etched facet;
the second end comprising a second etched facet;
wherein the first etched facet and the second etched facet are at an angle of between 87 degrees and 93 degrees from the gallium and nitrogen containing surface, and the first etched facet and the second etched facet have a root mean square roughness of 50 nm or less;a first optical coating overlying the first etched facet, wherein the first optical coating is configured to increase a reflectivity of the first etched facet to a laser beam generated in the cavity region, the first optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of tantalum pentoxide;
wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire first etched facet, and the second layer of tantalum pentoxide covers the entire first layer;a second optical coating overlying the second etched facet, wherein the second optical coating is configured to reduce a reflectivity of the second etched facet to the laser beam generated in the cavity region, the second optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of Al2O3, wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire second etched facet and is configured as a passivation layer, and the second layer of Al2O3 covers the entire first layer and is configured to reduce the reflectivity of the second etched facet, the second optical coating having a substantially uniform thickness across the second etched facet; and an optical power density characterizing the laser device, the laser device being substantially free from catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) related failure. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of fabricating a gallium and nitrogen containing laser device, the method comprising:
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providing a gallium and nitrogen containing surface having either a nonpolar orientation or a semipolar orientation; forming a cladding region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface, the cladding region having an AlN mol fraction of less than about 2%; forming a cavity region overlying the gallium and nitrogen containing surface and configured in alignment in substantially a c-direction or a projection of the c-direction, the cavity region being characterized by a first end and a second end; etching the first end of the cavity region to form a first etched facet; etching the second end of the cavity region to form a second etched facet wherein the first etched facet and the second etched facet are formed using an etching process selected from reactive ion etching, inductively coupled plasma etching, and chemical assisted ion beam etching;
wherein the first etched facet and the second etched facet are at an angle of between 87 degrees and 93 degrees from the gallium and nitrogen containing surface after etching, and the first etched facet and the second etched facet have a root mean square roughness of 50 nm or less;forming a first optical coating overlying the first etched facet by electron-beam deposition, wherein the first optical coating is configured to increase a reflectivity of the first etched facet to a laser beam generated in the cavity region, the first optical coating comprising a first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of tantalum pentoxide;
wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire first etched facet, and the second layer of tantalum pentoxide covers the entire first layer;forming a second optical coating overlying the second etched facet by electron-beam deposition, wherein the second optical coating layer is configured to reduce a reflectivity of the second facet to the laser beam generated in the cavity region, the second optical coating comprising the first layer of SiO2 and a second layer of Al2O3, wherein the first layer of SiO2 directly contacts the entire second etched facet and is configured as a passivation layer, and the second layer of Al2O3 covers the entire first layer and is configured to reduce the reflectivity of the second etched facet, the second optical coating having a substantially uniform thickness across the second facet;
wherein the first layer of SiO2 is blanket deposited on the first etched facet and the second etched facet after etching; andoperating the laser device at an optical power density of greater than 400 mW per micron of output cavity width without catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) related failure. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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Specification