# US 12,191,630 B2 · Vertical cavity surface emitting laser device with monolithically integrated photodiode

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- Number: US 12,191,630 B2
- Document ID: US12191630B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/539,266
- Filed: 2021-12-01
- Published: 2022-03-24
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-03
- Assignees: Trumpf Photonic Components GmbH
- Applicants: TRUMPF Photonic Components GmbH
- Inventors: Ulrich Weichmann; Philipp Henning Gerlach; Susanne Weidenfeld; Holger Joachim Moench
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191630B2

## CPC

- H01S 5/0262: {Photo-diodes, e.g. transceiver devices, bidirectional devices (H01S5/0265 takes precedence)}
- H01S 5/0264: {for monitoring the laser-output}
- G01S 7/4916: {using self-mixing in the laser cavity}
- H01S 5/0421: {characterised by the semiconducting contacting layers (electrodes H01S5/0425)}
- H01S 5/18347: {Mesa comprising active layer}
- H01S 5/18361: {Structure of the reflectors, e.g. hybrid mirrors}
- H01S 5/34313: {with a well layer having only As as V-compound, e.g. AlGaAs, InGaAs}
- H01S 5/18305: {with emission through the substrate, i.e. bottom emission}
- H01S 5/18341: {Intra-cavity contacts}
- H01S 5/18377: {comprising layers of different kind of materials, e.g. combinations of semiconducting with dielectric or metallic layers}
- 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
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## Abstract

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser device includes: an optical resonator; a photodiode; and a contact arrangement. The optical resonator includes: two distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and an active region between the DBRs. The photodiode has a light absorption region in the optical resonator. The contact arrangement provides drive current to pump the optical resonator, and contacts the photodiode. The active region has an InxGa1-xAs layer, where 0≤x<1. The light absorption region has an InyGa1-yAs layer, where 0<y<1, and y>x. The InyGa1-yAs layer is an intrinsic layer of the light absorption region. The InyGa1-yAs layer is 15-50 nm thick. The light absorption region has an undoped layer with a material different from the InyGa1-yAs layer. The InyGa1-yAs layer is immediately adjacent to the undoped layer. An intrinsic zone of the light absorption region is at least 70 nm thick.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) device, the VCSEL device comprising: an optical resonator; a photodiode; and an electrical contact arrangement, wherein the optical resonator comprises: a first distributed Bragg reflector; a second distributed Bragg reflector; and an active region for light emission, wherein the active region is arranged between the first distributed Bragg reflector and the second distributed Bragg reflector, wherein the photodiode comprises a light absorption region arranged in the optical resonator, wherein the electrical contact arrangement is arranged to provide an electrical drive current to electrically pump the optical resonator, and to electrically contact the photodiode, wherein the active region comprises at least one InxGa1-xAs layer, wherein 0≤x<1, wherein the light absorption region comprises at least one InyGa1-yAs layer, wherein 0<y<1, wherein y is greater than x, wherein the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer of the light absorption region is an intrinsic layer of the light absorption region, wherein the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer of the light absorption region has a thickness in a range from 15 nm to 50 nm, wherein the light absorption region of the photodiode comprises at least one undoped further layer based on a material different from the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer, wherein the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer is immediately adjacent to the further layer, and wherein an intrinsic zone of the light absorption region has a total thickness of at least 70 nm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein a difference y−x is in a range from 0.005 to 0.2.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein the at least one undoped further layer of the light absorption region of the photodiode comprises at least two undoped further layers, wherein the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer is sandwiched by the at least two undoped further layers.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer comprises at least two InyGa1-yAs layers separated by the at least one undoped further layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein the at least one further layer comprises GaAs or GaAszP1-z.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein the at least one InyGa1-yAs layer comprises single InyGa1-yAs layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein an intrinsic zone of the light absorption region has a total thickness of at least 100 nm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein an intrinsic zone of the light absorption region has a total thickness of at least 200 nm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The VCSEL device of claim 1, wherein the electrical contact arrangement comprises a contact layer arranged between the active region and the light absorption region in one of the first distributed Bragg reflector or the second distributed Bragg reflector.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The VCSEL device of claim 9, wherein an optical thickness of the contact layer is an integer multiple of half of the wavelength of the laser light in the optical resonator.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

An optical sensor, comprising the VCSEL device of claim 1.

### Claim 12

A method of producing a vertical cavity surface emitting laser device, the method comprising: providing a first distributed Bragg reflector and a second distributed Bragg reflector, providing an active region comprising at least one In.sub.xGa.sub.1-xAs layer, wherein 0≤x<1, for light emission and arranging the active region between the first distributed Bragg reflector and the second distributed Bragg reflector to form an optical resonator, providing a photodiode comprising a light absorption region arranged in the optical resonator with at least one In.sub.yGa.sub.1-yAs layer, wherein 0<y<1, wherein y is greater than x, electrically contacting the optical resonator, and electrically contacting the photodiode, wherein the at least one In.sub.yGa.sub.1-yAs layer of the light absorption region is an intrinsic layer of the light absorption region, wherein the at least one In.sub.yGa.sub.1-yAs layer of the light absorption region has a thickness in a range from 15 nm to 50 nm, wherein the light absorption region of the photodiode comprises at least one undoped further layer based on a material different from the at least one In.sub.yGa.sub.1-yAs layer, wherein the at least one In.sub.yGa.sub.1-yAs layer is immediately adjacent to the further layer, and wherein an intrinsic zone of the light absorption region has a total thickness of at least 70 nm.

### Claim 13 (depends on 2)

The VCSEL device of claim 2, wherein the difference y−x is in a range from 0.01 to 0.1 or from 0.02 to 0.06.