A structure for forming a laser circuit having low penetration ohmic contact providing impurity gettering and the resultant laser circuit

An optoelectronic integrated circuit, comprising:

• a semiconductor device including a plurality of semiconductor device layers;
• and
• at least one multilayer gettering contact metallization formed on said plurality of device layers, comprising:
• a semiconductor cap layer;
• a low-penetration electrical contact formed on said cap layer including
• a plurality of metal layers, at least one of which reacts with said cap layer to remove mobile impurities and self-interstitials from said cap layer.

A multiple-quantum-well semiconductor laser, comprising:

• a multiple-quantum-well semiconductor device including a plurality of semiconductor device layers;
• and
• at least one multilayer gettering contact metallization formed on said plurality of device layers, comprising:
• a semiconductor cap layer;
• a low-penetration electrical contact formed on said cap layer including
• a plurality of metal layers, at least one of which reacts with said cap layer to remove mobile impurities and self-interstitials from said cap layer.

An electroabsorption modulated laser (EML), comprising:

• an electroabsorption modulated semiconductor device including a plurality of semiconductor device layers;
• and
• at least one multilayer gettering contact metallization formed on said plurality of device layers, comprising:
• a semiconductor cap layer;
• a low-penetration electrical contact formed on said cap layer including
• a plurality of metal layers, at least one of which reacts with said cap layer to remove mobile impurities and self-interstitials from said cap layer.

An optoelectronic communications system, comprising:

• a semiconductor laser;
• an optoelectronic receiver;
• and
• an optical link connecting said laser and said receiver,
• wherein at least one of said laser, said link, and said receiver includes a multilayer gettering contact metallization, comprising:
• a semiconductor cap layer;
• and
• a low-penetration electrical contact formed on said cap layer including
• a plurality of metal layers, at least one of which reacts with said cap layer to remove mobile impurities and self-interstitials from said cap layer.

A method of producing a multilayer gettering contact metallization in a laser semiconductor device having a cap layer, comprising the acts of:

• forming a dielectric barrier layer on said cap layer;
• removing portions of said dielectric barrier layer according to a pattern to expose portions of said cap layer;
• forming a plurality of pure metal layers on said exposed cap layer portions, at least one of which is capable of gettering mobile impurities and self-interstitials present in said cap layer;
• and
• heating said plurality of pure metal layers to cause mobile impurities and self-interstitials in at least said cap layer to be gettered in said plurality of pure metal layers.