Reducing auger recombination in semiconductor optical devices
AssigneeUniversity of Surrey
InventorAlfred Rodney Adams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor optical device (40, 50, 60) comprises a first region 42 comprising an active region configured such that electrons and holes recombine in the active region to produce photons when a voltage is applied to the device. The device comprises at least one second region (43, 44, 53, 54, 62, 63) comprising a quantum well structure which is configured to trap electrons only, to trap holes only, or to trap different amounts of electrons and holes. The second region is arranged at a distance from the first region which is sufficiently close to the first region such that a charge imbalance develops in the first region when a voltage is applied to the device, thereby to reduce Auger recombination in the first region.
Claims20
A semiconductor optical device comprising:
- a first region comprising an active region configured such that electrons and holes recombine in the active region to produce photons when a voltage is applied to the device;
- and
- at least one second region comprising a quantum well structure which is configured to trap electrons only, to trap holes only, or to trap different amounts of electrons and holes,
- wherein the second region is arranged at a distance from the first region such that a charge imbalance develops in the first region when a voltage is applied to the device, thereby to reduce Auger recombination in the first region, and
- wherein one or more material properties of the first region are such that first and second Auger recombination processes contribute to Auger recombination in the first region, wherein the charge imbalance causes the rate of the first Auger recombination process to increase and the rate of the second Auger recombination process to decrease such that overall Auger recombination in the first region is reduced.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor optical device, comprising:
- growing a first semiconductor region and at least one second semiconductor region, wherein:
- the first region comprises an active region configured such that electrons and holes recombine in the active region to produce photons when a voltage is applied to the device, and
- the at least one second region comprises a quantum well structure which is configured to trap electrons only, to trap holes only, or to trap different amounts of electrons and holes, each or the second region being arranged at a distance from the first region so as to cause a charge imbalance to develop in the first region when a voltage is applied to the device, thereby to reduce Auger recombination in the first region,
- wherein one or more material properties of the first region are such that first and second Auger recombination processes contribute to Auger recombination in the first region, wherein the charge imbalance causes the rate of the first Auger recombination process to increase and the rate of the second Auger recombination process to decrease such that overall Auger recombination in the first region is reduced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.