Electrically pumped long-wavelength VCSEL and methods of fabrication
OwnerChan-Long Shieh, Jeff Tsaoinventors
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Abstract
An electrically pumped, long-wavelength VCSEL includes a long wavelength active region having electrical contacts on opposed sides thereof. A layer of semiconductor material is included in the active region having an electrically conductive portion defining a lasing aperture and current confinement volume with the conductive portion being limited by an electrically insulating portion. Windows are formed in the electrical contacts in alignment with the lasing aperture and mirror stacks are positioned on the long wavelength active region in each of the windows. At least one of the mirror stacks includes a metamorphic distributed Bragg reflector for heat conduction.
Claims20
An electrically pumped, long-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising:
- a long wavelength active region having opposed major sides with a first electrical contact on one of the major sides and a second electrical contact on another of the major sides;
- at least one layer of material included in the long wavelength active region and having an electrically conductive portion defining a lasing aperture and current confinement volume, the electrically conductive portion being limited by an electrically insulating portion;
- a first window in the second electrical contact in alignment with the lasing aperture and a first mirror stack positioned on the long wavelength active region in the first window;
- a second window in the first electrical contact in alignment with the lasing aperture and a second mirror stack positioned on the long wavelength active region in the second window, one of the first mirror stack and the second mirror stack including a first metamorphic distributed Bragg reflector;
- and
- a contact metal in electrical interaction with the second electrical contact and in thermal interaction with the first distributed Bragg reflector mirror stack.
A method of fabricating an electrically pumped, long-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising the steps of:
- forming a long wavelength active region having opposed major sides with a first electrical contact on one of the major sides and a second electrical contact on another of the major sides;
- including at least one layer of material in the long wavelength active region having an electrically conductive portion defining a lasing aperture and current confinement volume, the electrically conductive portion being limited by an electrically insulating portion;
- forming a first window in the second electrical contact in alignment with the lasing aperture and metamorphically depositing a first distributed Bragg reflector mirror stack on the long wavelength active region in the first window;
- forming a second window in the first electrical contact in alignment with the lasing aperture and depositing a second mirror stack on the long wavelength active region in the second window;
- and
- depositing a contact metal in electrical interaction with the second electrical contact and in thermal interaction with the first distributed Bragg reflector mirror stack.
A method of fabricating an electrically pumped, long-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising the steps of:
- epitaxially depositing a first electrical contact on a compatible substrate;
- epitaxially depositing a long wavelength active region on the first electrical contact, the long wavelength active region including at least one layer of transformable material having an electrically conductive state and transformable into an electrically insulating state;
- depositing a second electrical contact on the long wavelength active region;
- transforming a portion of the transformable material to define a lasing aperture and current confinement volume;
- forming a first window in the second electrical contact in alignment with the lasing aperture and depositing a first mirror stack on the long wavelength active region in the first window;
- removing at least a portion of the compatible substrate and forming a second window in the first electrical contact in alignment with the lasing aperture;
- depositing a second mirror stack on the long wavelength active region in the second window;
- one of the steps of depositing the first mirror stack and the second mirror stack including metamorphically growing a distributed Bragg reflector mirror stack;
- and
- depositing a contact metal in thermal interaction with the metamorphically grown distributed Bragg reflector mirror stack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.