Method of forming current barriers in semiconductor lasers

Abstract

A method using implantation to form a semiconductor laser or laser array with current blocking implants. A semiconductor material laser structure including layers of a first conductivity type, an active region and layers of a second conductivity type is formed. In a first embodiment, impurity ions of the second conductivity type are implanted into selected regions of a first conductivity type layer. The implanted ions form current blocking buried regions of the second conductivity type with current confining channels therebetween. Finally, the structure is thermally annealed. In a second embodiment, a disorder inducing impurity, which may be a saturable absorber, is diffused into selected portions of the layers of the first conductivity type through the active region. The diffusion converts side regions of those layers into the second conductivity type. Impurity ions of the first conductivity type are implanted to a uniform depth crossing through the side regions to form a buried region of the first conductivity type. Current is confined to the center undiffused region. Last, the structure is thermally annealed. A laser array with individually addressable conductive contacts is also described. Ion bombardment is used to create insulative surface regions to isolate adjacent contacts from one another.