# US 2013/0157397 A1 · Manufacturing method, surface-emitting laser device, surface-emitting laser array, optical scanner, and image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 2013/0157397 A1
- Document ID: US20130157397A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/766,189
- Filed: 2013-02-13
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2008-11-20
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Hiroyoshi Shouji; Shunichi Sato; Toshihiro Ishii; Kengo Makita; Masahiro Hayashi; Toshihide Sasaki; Akihiro Itoh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157397A1

## CPC

- H01S 5/18361: {Structure of the reflectors, e.g. hybrid mirrors}
- H01S 5/423: {having a vertical cavity}
- H01S 5/0202: {Cleaving}
- H01S 5/18311: {using selective oxidation}
- H01S 5/3202: {grown on specifically orientated substrates, or using orientation dependent growth}
- H01S 2301/173: The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction
- H01S 2301/176: Specific passivation layers on surfaces other than the emission facet
- 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

## Abstract

A manufacturing method for manufacturing a surface-emitting laser device includes the steps of forming a laminated body in which a lower reflecting mirror, a resonator structure including an active layer, and an upper reflecting layer having a selective oxidized layer are laminated on a substrate; etching the laminated body to form a mesa structure having the selective oxidized layer exposed at side surfaces thereof; selectively oxidizing the selective oxidized layer from the side surfaces of the mesa structure to form a constriction structure in which a current passing region is surrounded by an oxide; forming a separating groove at a position away from the mesa structure; passivating an outermost front surface of at least a part of the laminated body exposed when the separating groove is formed; and coating a passivated part with a dielectric body.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A manufacturing method for manufacturing a surface-emitting laser device that emits laser light in a direction perpendicular to a substrate, the manufacturing method comprising:
a step of forming a laminated body in which a lower reflecting mirror, a resonator structure including an active layer, and an upper reflecting layer having a selective oxidized layer are laminated on the substrate;
a step of etching the laminated body to form a mesa structure having the selective oxidized layer exposed at side surfaces thereof;
a step of selectively oxidizing the selective oxidized layer from the side surfaces of the mesa structure to form a constriction structure in which a current passing region is surrounded by an oxide;
a step of forming a separating groove at a position away from the mesa structure;
a step of passivating an outermost front surface of at least a part of the laminated body exposed when the separating groove is formed; and
a step of coating a passivated part with a dielectric body.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein,
in the step of passivating the outermost front surface of at least the part of the laminated body, the outermost front surface is oxidized.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein
the step of passivating the outermost front urface of at least the part of the laminated body includes a heat treatment in an atmosphere concurrently containing at least both water and oxygen (O2).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein
the step of passivating the outermost front surface of at least the part of the laminated body includes an ammonia-water immersing treatment conducted prior to the heat treatment.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein
the lower reflecting mirror includes a heat radiating layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein
the lower reflecting mirror has plural pairs of low refractive-index layers and high refractive-index layers, and
the heat radiating layer is the low refractive-index layer of at least one of the plural pairs and has an optical thickness of “an oscillation wavelength/4” or larger.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein
in the step of coating the passivated part with the dielectric body, anyone of SiN, SiO2, and SiON is coated by a plasma CVD.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The manufacturing method according to claim 1, further comprising:
a step of removing an unnecessary oxide from the side surfaces of the mesa structure forming the constriction structure.

### Claim at position 9

9-26. (canceled)