Electrically injected visible vertical cavity surface emitting laser diodes
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsRichard P. Schneider, James A. Lott
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Abstract
Visible laser light output from an electrically injected vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VSCEL) diode is enabled by the addition of phase-matching spacer layers on either side of the active region to form the optical cavity. The spacer layers comprise InAlP which act as charge carrier confinement means. Distributed Bragg reflector layers are formed on either side of the optical cavity to act as mirrors.
Claims24
An electrically injected vertical cavity laser diode for emitting light at a visible wavelength comprising:
- a III-V compound substrate of a first conductivity type connected to a first electrode;
- a first multiplicity of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) being of the first conductivity type formed above the substrate;
- an optical cavity formed above the first DBRs and comprising a first optical phase matching spacer layer located adjacent the first DBRs and of the same conductivity, an active region having an active lasing means located adjacent to and above the first spacer layer, and a second optical phase matching spacer layer adjacent to and above the active region and of the opposite conductivity type from the first spacer layer, wherein each spacer layer has a thickness of between one wavelength and three wavelengths of the emitted light;
- a second multiplicity of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) of the opposite conductivity type formed above the optical cavity;
- and
- a second electrode means located above the active region.
An electrically injected vertical cavity laser diode for emitting light at a visible wavelength comprising:
- a III-V compound substrate of a first conductivity type connected to a first electrode;
- a first multiplicity of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) being of the first conductivity type formed above the substrate;
- an optical cavity formed above the first DBRs and comprising an active region having at least one strained quantum well surrounded by lattice-matched barrier means, a first optical phase matching spacer layer located adjacent the first DBRs and of the same conductivity, and a second optical phase matching spacer layer on the other side of the active region and of the opposite conductivity type, wherein each spacer layer has a thickness of between one wavelength and three wavelengths of the emitted light and the optical phase matching layers have higher bandgaps than the materials comprising the DBR's;
- a second multiplicity of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) of the opposite conductivity type formed above the optical cavity;
- and
- a second electrode means, such that the second electrode means has an opening within it for the transmission of the laser light output.
An electrically injected vertical cavity laser diode for emitting light at a visible wavelength comprising:
- a III-V compound substrate of a first conductivity type connected to a first electrode;
- a first multiplicity of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) being of the first conductivity type formed above the substrate;
- an optical cavity formed above the first DBRs and comprising a first optical phase matching spacer layer located adjacent the first DBRs and of the same conductivity, an active region having an active lasing means located adjacent to and above the first spacer layer, and a second optical phase matching spacer layer adjacent to and above the active region and of the opposite conductivity type form the first spacer layer, wherein each spacer layer is an integral multiple of .lambda./4n in thickness where .lambda. is the wavelength and n is the refractive index of the spacer and the total thickness of the optical cavity is an integral multiple of .lambda./2n;
- a second multiplicity of distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) of the opposite conductivity type formed above the optical cavity;
- and
- a second electrode means located above the active region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.