# US 12,113,333 B2 · Surface emitting laser element and manufacturing method of the same

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- Number: US 12,113,333 B2
- Document ID: US12113333B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/272,385
- Filed: 2019-08-29
- Published: 2021-10-21
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2018-09-03
- Assignees: Kyoto University; Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Kyoto University; Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Susumu Noda; Yoshinori Tanaka; Menaka De Zoysa; Kenji Ishizaki; Tomoaki Koizumi; Kei Emoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113333B2

## CPC

- H01S 5/11: Comprising a photonic bandgap structure
- H01S 5/183: having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
- H01S 5/185: having only horizontal cavities, e.g. horizontal cavity surface-emitting lasers [HCSEL] (comprising a photonic bandgap structure H01S5/11)
- H01S 5/32025: {non-polar orientation}
- H01S 5/34333: {with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser}
- C30B 25/18: characterised by the substrate
- C30B 29/403: {AIII-nitrides}
- H01S 5/0014: {Measuring characteristics or properties thereof (measuring techniques per se G01J, G01K, G01N, G01R)}
- H01S 5/04254: {characterised by the shape}
- H01S 5/2009: {by using electron barrier layers}
- H01S 5/3213: {asymmetric clading layers}
- H01S 2304/04: MOCVD or MOVPE
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR

## Abstract

A surface emitting laser element formed of a group III nitride semiconductor, comprising: a first clad layer of a first conductivity type; a first guide layer of the first conductivity type having a photonic crystal layer formed on the first clad layer including voids disposed having two-dimensional periodicity in a surface parallel to the layer and a first embedding layer formed on the photonic crystal layer; a second embedding layer formed on the first embedding layer by crystal growth; an active layer formed on the second embedding layer; a second guide layer formed on the active layer; and a second clad layer of a second conductivity type formed on the second guide layer, the second conductivity type being a conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type. The first embedding layer has a surface including pits disposed at surface positions corresponding to the voids.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A surface emitting laser element formed of a group III nitride semiconductor, comprising:
a first clad layer of a first conductivity type;
a first guide layer of the first conductivity type having a photonic crystal layer formed on the first clad layer including voids disposed having two-dimensional periodicity in a surface parallel to the layer and a first embedding layer formed on the photonic crystal layer wherein the first embedding layer closes the voids;
a second embedding layer formed on the first embedding layer by crystal growth;
an active layer formed on the second embedding layer;
a second guide layer formed on the active layer; and
a second clad layer of a second conductivity type formed on the second guide layer, the second conductivity type being a conductivity type opposite to the first conductivity type,
wherein the first embedding layer has a surface including pits disposed at surface positions corresponding to the voids.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the first embedding layer includes the regularly arrayed pits corresponding to the voids.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein the second embedding layer has a crystal composition different from a crystal composition of the first embedding layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein the first embedding layer has a crystal composition identical to a crystal composition of the photonic crystal layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein the second embedding layer is a crystal layer having a refractive index equal to or more than a refractive index of the first embedding layer to an emission wavelength from the active layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein the second embedding layer includes In as a crystal composition thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein a sum layer thickness of the first embedding layer and the second embedding layer is in a range of from 20 nm to 100 nm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the first embedding layer is a (0001) plane and has a step-terrace structure including bunching steps bunched at an interval of the voids.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the second embedding layer is a (0001) plane and has a step-terrace structure with a step height equivalent to a height of one bilayer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a plurality of side surfaces of each of the voids is a {10-10} facet.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The surface emitting laser element according to claim 1, wherein a concentration of oxygen included in the second embedding layer is 5×1016 cm−3 or less.

### Claim 12

A manufacturing method for manufacturing a surface emitting laser element formed of a group Ill nitride semiconductor by a MOVPE method, the manufacturing method comprising:
(a) growing a first clad layer of a first conductivity type on a substrate;
(b) growing a first guide layer of the first conductivity type on the first clad layer;
(c) forming hole portions disposed having two-dimensional periodicity in a surface parallel to the first guide layer in the first guide layer by etching;
(d) supplying a gas containing a nitrogen source to form a first embedding layer closing openings of the hole portions by mass transport;
(e) supplying a group Ill raw material after the formation of the first embedding layer to form a second embedding layer that embeds the first embedding layer for flattening,
wherein in step (d), the first embedding layer has a surface including pits derived from voids.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The manufacturing process according to claim 12, wherein in the step (c), the periodically disposed hole portions with two perpendicular axes as arrayed directions are formed in the first guide layer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The manufacturing method according to any one of claim 12, wherein the first embedding layer has the surface including regularly arrayed pits corresponding to the voids.