Method and manufacturing a laser diode with buried active layer
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsMarkus-Christian Amann, Wolfgang Thulke, Gerhard Baumann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In the manufacture of laser diodes having a stripe-shaped, active layer, a problem arises upon application of lateral layers, particularly of blocking pn-junctions for lateral current conduction, in that these layers are undesired above the active layer. By applying a protective cover layer that will dissolve in super-cooled melts of the material of the lateral layers, before the growth of the lateral layers, the growth of the lateral layers, particularly blocking pn-junctions, above the active stripe is avoided since the cover layer dissolves in the melt given epitaxial application of the lateral layers.
Claims15
A method for manufacturing a laser diode with buried active layer and with metal contacts on the opposite sides of the layer format, proceeding on the basis of a double heterolayer structure that contains at least one substrate of a first semiconductor material, an active layer of a second semiconductor material that has a higher refractive index and a smaller energy band gap than the first semiconductor material, and contains an upper layer of the first semiconductor material, comprising the following steps:
- (a) applying a cover layer of a third semiconductor material that will dissolve in super-cooled melts of the first semiconductor material on the double hetero-layer structure on the upper layer;
- (b) defining a stripe by laterally etching the cover layer, the upper layer, and the active layer off down into the substrate;
- and (c) applying, by liquid phase epitaxy, a plurality of layers of the first semiconductor material at the side of the stripe at least up to the height of the stripe, causing the cover layer to dissolve.
A method for manufacturing a laser diode with buried active layer and with metal contacts on the opposite sides of the layer format comprising:
- providing a double hetero-layer structure that contains at least one substrate of a first semiconductor material, an active layer of a second semiconductor material that has a higher refractive index and a smaller energy band gap than the first semiconductor material, and contains an upper layer of the first semiconductor material;
- applying a cover layer of a third semiconductor material that will dissolve in super-cooled melts of the first semiconductor material on the double hetero-layer structure on the upper layer;
- defining a stripe by laterally etching the cover layer, the upper layer and the active layer off down into the substrate;
- and
- applying, by liquid phase epitaxy, a plurality of layers of the first semiconductor material at the side of the stripe at least up to the height of the stripe, causing the cover layer to dissolve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.