Method for making closely-spaced VCSEL and photodetector on a substrate

A method of manufacturing monolithic VCSEL and photodetector pairs, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming VCSEL layers directly on a semiconductor wafer substrate by
• forming first mirror layers;
• forming a first cladding layer on said first mirror layers;
• forming an active region on said first cladding layer;
• forming a second cladding layer on said active region;
• forming second mirror layers on said second cladding layer;
• forming photodiodes distributed across said wafer;
• and
• defining active and inactive VCSELs by forming proton implant isolation regions around said second mirror layers of said active VCSELs.

A method of manufacturing monolithic VCSEL and photodetector pairs, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming VCSEL layers directly on a semiconductor wafer substrate by
• forming first mirror layers;
• forming a first cladding layer on said first mirror layers;
• forming an active region on said first cladding layer;
• forming a second cladding layer on said active region;
• forming second mirror layers on said second cladding layer;
• forming photodiodes distributed across said wafer;
• and
• defining active and inactive VCSELs by forming proton implant isolation regions 50-100 microns wide around said second mirror layers and extending vertically through said second mirror layers to said second cladding layer.

A method of manufacturing monolithic VCSEL and photodetector pairs, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming VCSEL layers directly on a semiconductor wafer substrate by
• forming first mirror layers;
• forming a first cladding layer on said first mirror layers;
• forming an active region on said first cladding layer;
• forming a second cladding layer on said active region;
• forming second mirror layers on said second cladding layer;
• forming photodiodes distributed across said wafer;
• and
• forming VCSEL anode contacts overlapping a topmost second mirror layer and said isolation region of said active VCSELs.

A method of manufacturing monolithic VCSEL and photodetector pairs, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming VCSEL layers directly on a semiconductor wafer substrate by
• forming first mirror layers;
• forming a first cladding layer on said first mirror layers;
• forming an active region on said first cladding layer;
• forming a second cladding layer on said active region;
• forming second mirror layers on said second cladding layer;
• defining active regions and inactive regions by forming isolation regions in the VCSEL layers;
• and then
• forming photodiodes distributed across said wafer on said second mirror layers of inactive VCELs.

A method of manufacturing monolithic VCSEL and photodetector pairs, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming VCSEL layers directly on a semiconductor wafer substrate by
• forming first mirror layers;
• forming a first cladding layer on said first mirror layers;
• forming an active region on said first cladding layer;
• forming a second cladding layer on said active region;
• forming second mirror layers on said second cladding layer;
• forming photodiodes distributed across said wafer by
• forming distributed p-type layers on a topmost second mirror layer;
• forming an intrinsic layer on said distributed p-type layers;
• forming an n-type layer on said intrinsic layers;
• forming a photodiode cathode contact on each of said n-type layers;
• and
• forming distributed photodiode anode contacts on said topmost second mirror layer.

A method of manufacturing an integrated VCSEL and photodetector pair, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming layers of a VCSEL on a semiconductor substrate;
• forming layers of a photodiode on a top-most layer of a first portion of said VCSEL layers;
• isolating a second portion of said VCSEL layers from said photodiode layers by implanting an isolation region between said first and second portions of said VCSEL layers;
• forming a VCSEL cathode contact connected to said semiconductor substrate;
• forming a VCSEL anode contact connected to said top-most VCSEL layer in said second portion;
• forming a photodiode cathode contact on a topmost layer of said photodiode layers;
• and
• forming a photodiode anode contact on said top-most VCSEL layer of said first portion of said VCSEL layers.