Binoptics Corporation

Power Integrations, Inc.

Alfred T Schremer

Alex A Behfar

Cristian Stagarescu

Malcolm R Green

James R Shealy

Richard J Brown

A Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) technique is provided to produce improved dielectric/semiconductor interfaces for GaN-based electronic devices. Using the LPCVD technique, superior interfaces are achieved through the use of elevated deposition temperatures (>700° C.), the use of ammonia to stabilize and clean the GaN surface, and chlorine-containing precursors where reactions with chlorine remove unwanted impurities from the dielectric film and its interface with GaN. The LPCVD silicon nitride films have less hydrogen contamination, higher density, lower buffered-HF etch rates, and lower pin hole density than films produced by other deposition techniques making the LPCVD coatings suitable for device passivation. A metal insulator semiconductor (MIS) structures fabricated with LPCVD SiN on GaN exhibit near ideal capacitance-voltage behavior with both charge accumulation, depletion, and inversion regimes.

Vertical gallium nitride containing field effect transistor with silicon nitride passivation and gate dielectric regions

A laser () and detector () integrated on corresponding epitaxial layers of a single chip () cooperate with on-chip and/or external optics () to couple light of a first wavelength emitted by the laser to a single external device such as an optical fiber () and to simultaneously couple light of a different wavelength received from the external device to the detector to provide bidirectional photonic operation. Multiple lasers and detectors may be integrated on the chip to provide multiple bidirectional channels.

Integrated photonic devices

A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.

Multi-level integrated photonic devices

A photonic device incorporate an epitaxial structure having an active region, and which includes a wet etch stop layer above, but close to, the active region. An etched-facet ridge laser is fabricated on the epitaxial structure by dry etching followed by wet etching. The dry etch is designed to stop before reading the depth needed to form the ridge. The wet etch completes the formation of the ridge and stops at the wet etch stop layer.

Etched-facet ridge lasers with etch-stop

Three-dimensional structures of arbitrary shape are fabricated on the surface of a substrate through a series of processing steps wherein a monolithic structure is fabricated in successive layers. A first layer of photoresist material is spun onto a substrate surface and is exposed in a desired pattern corresponding to the shape of a final structure, at a corresponding cross-sectional level in the structure. The layer is not developed after exposure; instead, a second layer of photoresist material is deposited and is also exposed in a desired pattern. Subsequent layers are spun onto the top surface of prior layers and exposed, and upon completion of the succession of layers each defining corresponding levels of the desired structure, the layers are all developed at the same time leaving the three-dimensional structure.

Monolithic three-dimensional structures

An integrated semiconductor laser device capable of emitting light of selected wavelengths includes multiple ring lasers of different cavity lengths coupled in series or in parallel to a common output to produce an output beam having a wavelength corresponding to the selected ring lasers.

Growing community of inventors

Ithaca, NY, United States of America

Alfred T Schremer