Semiconductor devices with depleted heterojunction current blocking regions
AssigneesUniversity of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc., sdPhotonics, LLC
InventorDENNIS G. DEPPE
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Abstract
A semiconductor device includes an upper and lower mirror. At least one active region for light generation is between the upper and lower mirror. At least one cavity spacer layer is between at least one of the upper and lower mirror and the active region. The device includes an inner mode confinement region and an outer current blocking region. A depleted heterojunction current blocking region (DHCBR) including a depleting impurity is within the outer current blocking region of ≧1 of the upper mirror, lower mirror, and the first active region. A middle layer including a conducting channel is within the inner mode confinement region that is framed by the DHCBR. The DHCBR forces current flow into the conducting channel during normal operation of the light source.
Claims18
A semiconductor heterostructure device, comprising:
- a middle layer including an inner conducting channel and an outer current blocking region;
- a depleted heterojunction current blocking region (DHCBR) within said outer current blocking region,
- wherein said DHCBR includes a depleting impurity region comprising at least one depleting impurity which increases a depletion of said DHCBR so that said DHCBR forces current to flow into said conducting channel during electrical biasing under normal operation of said semiconductor heterostructure device.
A semiconductor vertical resonant cavity light source, comprising:
- an upper mirror comprising alternating low refractive index mirror layers and high refractive index mirror layers and a lower mirror comprising alternating low refractive index mirror layers and high refractive index mirror layers;
- at least one active region for light generation between said upper mirror and said lower mirror;
- at least one cavity spacer layer between at least one of said upper mirror and said lower mirror and said active region;
- said light source including an inner mode confinement region and an outer current blocking region;
- a depleted heterojunction current blocking region (DHCBR) including a depleting impurity region comprising at least one depleting impurity region within said outer current blocking region of at least one of said upper mirror, said lower mirror, and said active region, and
- a middle layer including a conducting channel within said inner mode confinement region that is framed by said DHCBR,
- wherein said DHCBR forces current flow into said conducting channel during normal operation of said light source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.