Semiconductor laser diode array and method of fabricating the same

A method of fabricating a semiconductor laser diode array comprising the steps of:

• forming a first cladding layer on a substrate from a first semiconductor of a first conductivity type;
• forming a first active layer on said first cladding layer from a second semiconductor;
• forming a second cladding layer on said first active layer from a third semiconductor of a second conductivity type;
• forming, on said second cladding layer, a first current block layer including a stripe-shaped opening from a fourth semiconductor minimally absorbing light emitted from said first active layer;
• forming a third cladding layer from a fifth semiconductor of the second conductivity type over said first current block layer including said opening;
• forming a first semiconductor laser diode including said first cladding layer, said first active layer, said second cladding layer, said first current block layer and said third cladding layer and forming a second laser diode formation region on said substrate by etching said first cladding layer, said first active layer, said second cladding layer, said first current block layer and said third cladding layer with an area on said third cladding layer including said opening of said first current block layer masked;
• forming a height adjusting buffer layer on said second laser diode formation region from a sixth semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a fourth cladding layer on said height adjusting buffer layer from a seventh semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a second active layer on said fourth cladding layer from an eighth semiconductor having a larger energy gap than said first active layer;
• forming a fifth cladding layer on said second active layer from a ninth semiconductor of the second conductivity type;
• forming, on said fifth cladding layer, a second current block layer including a stripe-shaped opening extending along substantially the same direction as a longitudinal direction of said opening of said first current block layer from a tenth semiconductor minimally absorbing light emitted from said second active layer;
• forming a sixth cladding layer from an eleventh semiconductor of the second conductivity type over said second current block layer including said opening;
• and
• forming a second semiconductor laser diode including said height adjusting buffer layer, said fourth cladding layer, said second active layer, said fifth cladding layer, said second current block layer and said sixth cladding layer by etching said height adjusting buffer layer, said fourth cladding layer, said second active layer, said fifth cladding layer and said second current block layer and said sixth cladding layer with an area on said sixth cladding layer including said opening of said second current block layer masked.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor laser diode array comprising the steps of:

• forming a first cladding layer on a substrate from a first semiconductor of a first conductivity type;
• forming a first active layer on said first cladding layer from a second semiconductor;
• forming a second cladding layer on said first active layer from a third semiconductor of a second conductivity type;
• forming a first current block layer on said second cladding layer from a fourth semiconductor minimally absorbing light emitted from said first active layer;
• forming one part of a first semiconductor laser diode and forming a second laser diode formation region on said substrate by etching said first cladding layer, said first active layer, said second cladding layer and said first current block layer with a first laser diode formation region on said first current block layer masked;
• forming a height adjusting buffer layer on said second laser diode formation region from a fifth semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a third cladding layer on said height adjusting buffer layer from a sixth semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a second active layer on said third cladding layer from a seventh semiconductor having a larger energy gap than said first active layer;
• forming a fourth cladding layer on said second active layer from an eighth semiconductor of the second conductivity type;
• forming, on said fourth cladding layer, a second current block layer including a stripe-shaped opening from said fourth semiconductor minimally absorbing light emitted from said second active layer;
• forming stripe-shaped openings extending at an interval in parallel to each other by etching said first current block layer and said second current block layer;
• forming a ninth semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type over said first current block layer and said second current block layer including said openings;
• and
• forming the other part of said first semiconductor laser diode including a fifth cladding layer and forming a second semiconductor laser diode including said height adjusting buffer layer, said third cladding layer, said second active layer, said fourth cladding layer and a sixth cladding layer by forming said fifth cladding layer on said first current block layer from said ninth semiconductor layer and forming said sixth cladding layer on said second current block layer from said ninth semiconductor layer through etching of at least said ninth semiconductor layer with said first laser diode formation region and said second laser diode formation region on said ninth semiconductor layer masked.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor laser diode array comprising the steps of:

• forming a first cladding layer on a substrate from a first semiconductor of a first conductivity type;
• forming a first active layer on said first cladding layer from a second semiconductor;
• forming a second cladding layer on said first active layer from a third semiconductor of a second conductivity type;
• forming a third cladding layer in the shape of a ridge on said second cladding layer from a fourth semiconductor of the second conductivity type;
• forming, on said second cladding layer on both sides of said third cladding layer, a first current block layer from a fifth semiconductor minimally absorbing light emitted from said first active layer;
• forming a first semiconductor laser diode including said first cladding layer, said first active layer, said second cladding layer, said third cladding layer and said first current block layer and forming a second laser diode formation region on said substrate by etching said first cladding layer, said first active layer, said second cladding layer and said first current block layer with an area on said first current block layer including said third cladding layer masked;
• forming a height adjusting buffer layer on said second laser diode formation region from a sixth semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a fourth cladding layer on said height adjusting buffer layer from a seventh semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a second active layer on said fourth cladding layer from an eighth semiconductor having a larger energy gap than said first active layer;
• forming a fifth cladding layer on said second active layer from a ninth semiconductor of the second conductivity type;
• forming, on said fifth cladding layer, a sixth cladding layer in the shape of a ridge extending along substantially the same direction as a longitudinal direction of said third cladding layer from a tenth semiconductor of the second conductivity type;
• forming, on said fifth cladding layer on both sides of said sixth cladding layer, a second current block layer from an eleventh semiconductor minimally absorbing light emitted from said second active layer;
• and
• forming a second semiconductor laser diode including said height adjusting buffer layer, said fourth cladding layer, said second active layer, said fifth cladding layer, said sixth cladding layer and said second current block layer by etching said height adjusting buffer layer, said fourth cladding layer, said second active layer, said fifth cladding layer and said second current block layer with an area on said second current block layer including said sixth cladding layer masked.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor laser diode array comprising the steps of:

• forming a first cladding layer on a substrate from a first semiconductor of a first conductivity type;
• forming a first active layer on said first cladding layer from a second semiconductor;
• forming a second cladding layer on said first active layer from a third semiconductor of a second conductivity type;
• forming a fourth semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type on said second cladding layer;
• forming one part of a first semiconductor laser diode and forming a second laser diode formation region on said substrate by etching said first cladding layer, said first active layer, said second cladding layer and said fourth semiconductor layer with a first laser diode formation region on said fourth semiconductor layer masked;
• forming a height adjusting buffer layer on said second laser diode formation region from a fifth semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a third cladding layer on said height adjusting buffer layer from a sixth semiconductor of the first conductivity type;
• forming a second active layer on said third cladding layer from a seventh semiconductor having a larger energy gap than said first active layer;
• forming a fourth cladding layer on said second active layer from an eighth semiconductor of the second conductivity type;
• forming a ninth semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type on said fourth cladding layer;
• forming a fifth cladding layer from said fourth semiconductor layer and a sixth cladding layer from said ninth semiconductor layer respectively in the shape of ridges extending at an interval in parallel to each other by etching said fourth semiconductor layer and said ninth semiconductor layer;
• forming, on said second cladding layer on both sides of said fifth cladding layer and on said fourth cladding layer on both sides of said sixth cladding layer, a tenth semiconductor layer minimally absorbing light emitted from said first active layer and said second active layer;
• and
• forming the other part of said first semiconductor laser diode including a first current block layer and forming a second semiconductor laser diode including said height adjusting buffer layer, said third cladding layer, said second active layer, said fourth cladding layer, said sixth cladding layer and a second current block layer by forming said first current block layer on said second cladding layer from said tenth semiconductor layer and forming said second current block layer on said fourth cladding layer from said tenth semiconductor layer through etching of at least said tenth semiconductor layer with said first laser diode formation region and said second laser diode formation region on said tenth semiconductor layer masked.