Trw Limited

Lawrence M Zinkiewicz

Joseph W Niesen

Luis Figueroa

Charles B Morrison

Dan Botez

Luke J Mawst

Edward A Rezek

Thomas J Roth

A semiconductor diode laser device, and a related method for its fabrication, the laser being of the type from which light is emitted in a direction perpendicular to planar layers forming the device. The laser includes an active layer and cladding layers formed on a supporting substrate, and a highly reflective semiconductor stack reflector formed on one of the cladding layers. The semiconductor stack reflector may be placed in contact with a heat sink and performs the multiple functions of electrical current conduction, heat removal and light reflection. A current confinement layer is formed laterally surrounding the semiconductor stack reflector, to provide one element of a back-biased junction that confines the current to the reflector region. A dielectric stack reflector is formed in a well in the substrate, and provides for light emission from the device. Operation of the device at high powers and efficiencies, even in continous-wave (CW) mode, is made possible by positioning the active layer in close proximity to the heat sink, and by the effectiveness of the current confinement layer surrounding the semiconductor stack reflector.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting diode laser

A semiconductor light-emitting device structured similarly to an index-guided laser, but having waveguide channels that are formed at a selected small angle of inclination with respect to a direction normal to cleaved facets formed in the structure. The angle of inclination should be at least half the critical beam angle above which total internal reflection will not occur within the waveguide channels. The angled condition of the waveguide channels ensures that effective mirror losses at the facets exceed the modal gain of the device, so that lasing will not occur, even when the current and power are increased to high levels. The device produces up to 30 mW or more of output power at a large spectral bandwidth and small coherence length.

Angled stripe superluminescent diode

A superluminescent light-emitting diode in which the spectral width of the output increases with increasing optical output power, thereby allowing the generation of high optical output powers with a broad frequency spectrum that is desirable for some applications of the superluminescent diodes. This desirable characteristic is obtained by structuring the diode to produce a non-uniform gain profile across its active layer. Alternative approaches for achieving the non-uniform gain profile include varying the thickness of the active layer, and varying the current density by employing an asymmetrical channel configuration or an asymmetrical electrical contact strip.

Superluminescent light-emitting diode and related method

A liquid phase epitaxial growth process for particular use in growing semi-insulating epitaxial layers of III-V semiconductor compounds such as indium phosphide, indium gallium arsenide, and indium gallium arsenide phosphide. The high resistivity of the layer is achieved by doping it with a deep level dopant such as cobalt, in a concentration in the range of 0.6 to 1.0 atomic percent, and by purifying the growth solution to an impurity concentration of at most 1.times.10.sup.16 atoms per cubic centimeter.

Growing community of inventors

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, United States of America

Lawrence M Zinkiewicz