Semiconductor Light Emitting Devices With Non-Epitaxial Upper Cladding
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsDavid P. Bour, Christopher L. Chua, Noble M. Johnson, Zhihong Yang
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Abstract
The AlGaN upper cladding layer of a nitride laser diode is replaced by a non-epitaxial layer, such as metallic silver. If chosen to have a relatively low refractive index value, the mode loss from absorption in the non-epitaxial cladding layer is acceptably small. If also chosen to have a relatively high work-function, the non-epitaxial layer forms an electrical contact to the nitride semiconductors. An indium-tin-oxide layer may also be employed with the non-epitaxial cladding layer.
Claims24
A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a crystalline semiconductor cladding layer formed over said substrate;
- a confinement heterostructure formed over said crystalline semiconductor cladding layer;
- an active region formed within said confinement heterostructure;
- and
- a non-epitaxial cladding layer formed over said confinement heterostructure, said non-epitaxial cladding layer having an electrical resistivity less than 1 ohm-cm;
- whereby, said crystalline semiconductor cladding layer, said confinement heterostructure, and said non-epitaxial cladding layer together form a waveguide that guides light in the plane of said cladding layers.
A semiconductor laser diode, comprising:
- a substrate;
- an gallium nitride (GaN) template layer formed over said substrate;
- a lower cladding layer comprising aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) formed over said template;
- a gallium nitride (GaN) confinement heterostructure formed over said AlGaN cladding layer;
- an indium gallium nitride (InGaN) multiple quantum well heterostructure active region formed within said confinement heterostructure, said active region for emitting light having a wavelength in the range of 365-550 nm;
- an aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) electron blocking layer formed over said active region and within said confinement heterostructure;
- and
- an upper cladding layer comprising silver (Ag) formed over said confinement heterostructure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.