Mirrors for semiconductor lasers

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

• a front mirror and a rear mirror situated at opposite ends of an active zone,
• one of said mirrors including alternate layers of a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material wherein the first semiconductor material contains the elements aluminium, arsenic and antimony and the second semiconductor material contains the elements gallium, phosphorus and antimony,
• said first and second semiconductor materials being substantially lattice matched to the semiconductor material of the active zone and
• the other mirror being formed of plurality of different quaternary semiconductor layers, each successive layer containing the elements indium, gallium, phosphorus and arsenic in different proportions to form the mirror.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

• a front mirror and a rear mirror situated at opposite ends of an active zone,
• one of said mirrors including alternate layers of a first semiconductor material and a second semiconductor material wherein the first semiconductor material consists essentially of the elements aluminium, arsenic and antimony and the second semiconductor material consists essentially of the elements gallium, phosphorus and antimony,
• said first and second semiconductor materials being substantially lattice matched to the semiconductor material of the active zone, and
• the other mirror being formed of plurality of different quaternary semiconductor layers, each successive layer containing the elements indium, gallium, phosphorus and arsenic in different proportions to form the mirror.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

• a front mirror and a rear mirror situated at opposite ends of an active zone;
• at least one of said mirrors including alternate layers of a first non-oxidized semiconductor material and a second non-oxidized semiconductor material,
• said first non-oxidized semiconductor material, except for a possible conductivity dopant, consisting essentially of the non-oxidized elements aluminum, arsenic and antimony;
• said second non-oxidized semiconductor material, except for a possible conductivity dopant, consisting essentially of the non-oxidized elements gallium, phosphorus and antimony, and
• said first and second semiconductor materials being essentially lattice-matched to the semiconductor material of the active zone.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

• a first mirror and a rear mirror situated at opposite ends of an active zone;
• each of said mirrors at least one of said mirrors including alternate layers of a first non-oxidized semiconductor material and a second non-oxidized semiconductor material,
• said first non-oxidized semiconductor material, except for a possible conductivity dopant, consisting essentially of the non-oxidized elements aluminum, arsenic and antimony;
• said second non-oxidized semiconductor material, except for a possible conductivity dopant, consisting essentially of the non-oxidized elements gallium, phosphorus and antimony, and
• said first and second semiconductor materials being essentially lattice-matched to the semiconductor material of the active zone.

A vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:

• a front mirror and a rear mirror situated at opposite ends of an active zone;
• one of said mirrors at least one of said mirrors including alternate layers of a first non-oxidized semiconductor material and a second non-oxidized semiconductor material,
• said first non-oxidized semiconductor material, except for a possible conductivity dopant, consisting essentially of the non-oxidized elements aluminum, arsenic and antimony;
• said second non-oxidized semiconductor material, except for a possible conductivity dopant, consisting essentially of the non-oxidized elements gallium, phosphorus and antimony, and
• said first and second semiconductor materials being essentially lattice-matched to the semiconductor material of the active zone;
• and
• the other mirror being formed of a plurality of different quaternary semiconductor layers each successive layer containing the elements indium, gallium, phosphorous and arsenic in different properties to form the mirror.