Conductive element with lateral oxidation barrier
AssigneePicolight Incorporated
InventorJack L. Jewell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conductive element with a lateral oxidation barrier is provided for the control of lateral oxidation processes in semiconductor devices such as lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and light emitting diodes. The oxidation barrier is formed through modification of one or more layers which initially were receptive to oxidation. The quality of material directly below the oxidation barrier may be preserved. Related applications include the formation of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers on non-GaAs substrates and on GaAs substrates.
Claims50
An electrical current conducting element comprising:
- at least a first oxidizable layer;
- said first oxidizable layer being significantly oxidized in a laterally oriented first region, said first region exhibiting high electrical resistance;
- said first oxidizable layer being modified within a laterally oriented second region forming a lateral oxidation barrier before said oxidizable layer is oxidized, said lateral oxidation barrier defining said second region which is not significantly oxidized, having aluminium content less than said first region and having electrical resistance significantly lower than said first region.
An electrical current conducting element comprising:
- at least a first oxidizable layer directly adjacent to and above or below at least one nonoxidizing layer;
- said first oxidizable layer being significantly oxidized in a first region, said first region exhibiting high electrical resistance;
- said first oxidizable layer and said at least one nonoxidizing layer being at least partially interdiffused within a second region forming a composite layer, said composite layer forming an oxidation barrier and being not significantly oxidized, said second region having electrical resistance significantly lower than said first region.
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first mirror situated above said substrate;
- a first conductive spacer situated above said first mirror;
- a light emitting material;
- a second conductive spacer situated above said light emitting material;
- a second mirror situated above said second conductive spacer;
- at least a first oxidizable layer, said first oxidizable layer being significantly oxidized in a laterally oriented first region, said first region exhibiting high electrical resistance, said first oxidizable layer being modified within a laterally oriented second region forming a lateral oxidation barrier before said oxidizable layer is oxidized, said lateral oxidation barrier defining said second region which is not significantly oxidized and having electrical resistance significantly lower than said first region;
- a first contact for electrically contacting to said conducting element;
- a second contact for electrically contacting to said material of a second conductive type;
- said first and second mirrors and all material between forming an optical cavity having a cavity resonance at a nominal wavelength;
- and
- means for injecting electrical current through said conducting element and into said light emitting material, thereby causing said light emitting device to emit a beam of light at or near said nominal wavelength.
A light emitter comprising:
- a first mirror;
- a light emitting material;
- a second mirror;
- at least a first oxidizable layer, said first oxidizable layer being significantly oxidized in a laterally oriented first region, said first region exhibiting high electrical resistance, said first oxidizable layer being modified within a laterally oriented second region forming a lateral oxidation barrier before said oxidizable layer is oxidized, said lateral oxidation barrier defining said second region which is not significantly oxidized and having electrical resistance significantly lower than said first region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.