Decoupled optic and electronic confinement laser diode
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsChristoph Harder, Stefan Hausser, Heinz Meier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Laser diode with independent electronic and optical confinement, referred to as decoupled confinement, comprising an active region, i.e. an active layer, a single quantum well layer or a multi-quantum well layer, embedded in a carrier confinement structure providing for an energy barrier at least on one side of the active region. This energy barrier reduces carrier leakage out of the active region. The carrier confinement structure is embedded in an optical confinement structure which guides the optical light wave. The inventive laser diode is characterized in that the height of the energy barrier confining the carriers, and the refractive index step providing for optical waveguiding of the light wave are decoupled.
Claims12
In a separate confinement heterostructure semiconductor laser diode with an active region, comprising:
- at least one InGaAsP active layer with a bandgap of E.sub.gA ;
- a carrier confinement structure comprising at least one InGaAsP carrier confinement layer with a bandgap of E.sub.gD, said carrier confinement structure having said at least one InGaAsP active layer embedded therein;
- and
- an upper InGaAsP optical confinement layer with a bandgap of E.sub.gB, wherein E.sub.gD is greater than E.sub.gB, and a lower InGaAsP optical confinement layer with a bandgap of E.sub.gC, said optical confinement layers having said carrier confinement structure sandwiched therebetween, wherein there is provided a first bandgap step .DELTA.E.sub.1 between said at least one InGaAsP active layer and said lower InGaAsP optical confinement layer, with .DELTA.E.sub.1 being greater than E.sub.gC -E.sub.gA, and a second bandgap step .DELTA.E.sub.2 between said at least one InGaAsP active layer and said upper InGaAsP optical confinement layer, with .DELTA.E.sub.2 being greater than E.sub.gB -E.sub.gA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.