US 6,711,191 B1 · Nitride semiconductor laser device

Abstract

A nitride semiconductor laser device has an improved stability of the lateral mode under high output power and a longer lifetime, so that the device can be applied to write and read light sources for recording media with high capacity. The nitride semiconductor laser device includes an active layer, a p-side cladding layer, and a p-side contact layer laminated in turn. The device further includes a waveguide region of a stripe structure formed by etching from the p-side contact layer. The stripe width provided by etching is within the stripe range of 1 to 3 μm and the etching depth is below the thickness of the p-side cladding layer of 0.1 μm and above the active layer. Particularly, when a p-side optical waveguide layer includes a projection part of the stripe structure and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer on the projection part and the projection part of the p-side optical waveguide layer has a thickness of not more than 1 μm, an aspect ratio is improved in far field image. Moreover, the thickness of the p-side optical waveguide layer is greater than that of an n-side optical waveguide layer.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An effective refractive index type nitride semiconductor laser device comprising:

a. an active layer for recombining electrons and holes;
b. p-side contact layer for contacting a p-side electrode;
c. a p-side optical waveguide layer and a p-side cladding layer between said active layer and said p-side contact layer;
a stripe-ridge-waveguide provided by selectively etching said p-side contact layer, said p-side cladding layer and said p-side optical waveguide layer up to a vicinity of said active layer, and
another p-side cladding layer between said active layer and said p-side optical waveguide layer,
wherein said p-side optical waveguide layer has a thickness of 1.0 μm or less at a projection region of a stripe structure included in said stripe-ridge-waveguide, and said p-side optical waveguide layer has a thickness of 0.05 μm or more and 0.1 μm or less at a region other than the projection region, and
said another p-side cladding layer near the active layer is a carrier confinement layer including AlyGa1−yN(0<y<0.5) and said p-side cladding layer outside the p-side optical waveguide layer is a light confinement layer including AlzGa1−zN(0<z<0.5, y>z).

4 more elements

An effective refractive index type nitride semiconductor laser device comprising:

a. an active layer for recombining electrons and holes;
b. p-side contact layer for contacting a p-side electrode;
c. a p-side optical waveguide layer and a p-side cladding layer between said active layer and said p-side contact layer;
a stripe-ridge-waveguide provided by selectively etching said p-side contact layer, said p-side cladding layer and said p-side optical waveguide layer up to a vicinity of said active layer,
d. an n-side optical waveguide layer opposite to said a p-side optical waveguide layer with respect to said active layer;
and
another p-side cladding layer between said active layer and said p-side optical waveguide layer,
wherein said p-side optical waveguide layer has a thickness of 1.0 μm or less at a projection region of a stripe structure included in said stripe-ridge-waveguide, and said p-side optical waveguide layer has a thickness of 0.05 μm or more and 0.1 μm or less at a region other than the projection region, and said p-side optical waveguide layer has a larger thickness than said n-side optical waveguide layer, and
said another p-side cladding layer near the active layer is a carrier confinement layer including AlyGa1−yN(0<y<0.5) and said p-side cladding layer outside the p-side optical waveguide layer is a light confinement layer including AlzGa1−zN(0<z<0.5, y>z).

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Nitride semiconductor laser device

Life of this patent

Nitride semiconductor laser device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16