Transverse injection surface emitting laser
AssigneeGeneral Dynamics Corporation, Electronics Division
InventorEric M. Bradley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor laser for emitting light transverse to the direction of current injection. The laser is fabricated from a substrate having planar top and bottom surfaces and an aperture formed therebetween. An optical cavity, formed upon the substrate top surface and aligned with the aperture, has co-planar top and bottom surfaces with dielectric mirrors formed thereupon. Contacts are formed adjacent the optical cavity for conducting current through the optical cavity in a direction substantially parallel to the optical cavity top and bottom surfaces. Current confinement layers are disposed in intimate contact with the optical cavity for confining current flowing in the optical cavity along a predetermined path extending between the contacts.
Claims16
A surface emitting laser comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having planar top and bottom surfaces and an aperture formed therebetween;
- a semiconductor optical cavity formed upon said substrate top surface and aligned with said aperture, said optical cavity having substantially coplanar top and bottom surfaces;
- first and second dielectric mirrors, said first dielectric mirror formed upon said optical cavity top surface and said second dielectric mirror formed upon said optical cavity bottom surface within said aperture;
- contact means for conducting current through said optical cavity in a direction substantially parallel to said optical cavity top and bottom surfaces;
- and
- current confinement means disposed in intimate contact with said optical cavity for confining current flowing in said optical cavity along a predetermined path extending between said contact means.
A surface emitting laser for emitting light at a predetermined wavelength in a direction transverse to current flow through the laser comprising:
- a semiconductor substrate having top and bottom surfaces and a hole extending between said top and bottom surfaces;
- a semiconductor lateral mesa stripe formed upon said substrate top surface, said lateral mesa stripe having a pair of end portions each having a contact formed thereupon, and a raised central portion aligned with said hole and having exposed top and bottom surfaces;
- current confinement means formed upon said substrate top surface abutting against said central portion;
- and
- first and second dielectric mirrors each respectively formed upon said central portion top and bottom surfaces, each of said first and second dielectric mirrors having a plurality of pairs of dielectric layers with each layer in each layer pair of a differing refractive index.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.