Other

The Boeing Company

J Stanley Whiteley

Robert R Rice

Robert A Morgan

Richard A Skogman

Neil F Ruggieri

An electron beam pumped semiconductor laser screen and an associated fabrication method are described which provide a display screen that has a relatively long operating lifetime, is less expensive to produce, and operates at lower electron voltages and near room temperature conditions. The laser screen includes a multi quantum well active gain region having quantum wells of GaInP and barrier layers of (Al Ga )InP, thereby permitting operation in the visible, red spectrum. Moreover, the first layer epitaxially grown on the sacrificial substrate is an etch stop layer of (Ga Al ) In P that acts as an etch stop during the subsequent etching of the sacrificial substrate and may also be used to adjust the cavity length to the correct resonance condition. The laser screen also includes an output mirror having alternating layers of two different compositions of Ga Al As that are epitaxially grown on the multi quantum well active gain region. The output mirror can also include a thin, final layer of GaAs to cap the structure and prevent degradation of the Ga Al As layers. The semiconductor laser screen also includes a carrier that is affixed to the output mirror. Further, the laser screen includes a metallic mirror and, in one embodiment, a hybrid metallic-dielectric mirror on the etch stop layer opposite the output mirror. As such, a laser cavity is defined between the output mirror and the metallic mirror. The semiconductor laser screen may be integrated into an electron beam pumped semiconductor laser which forms the basis for a projection display. A fabrication method is also provided.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

J Stanley Whiteley