The high efficiency high power multiple wave length tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical cavity surface emitting laser
Technical field:
High efficiency high power multiple wave length tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) belongs to field of semiconductor photoelectron technique, relates to a kind of vertical cavity surface emitting laser.
Background technology:
Vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is good with its light monochromaticjty, the angle of divergence is little, single longitudinal mode swashs and to penetrate, low threshold current, high modulation bandwidth, be easy to advantages such as high density is integrated, two-dimensional array, low cost, have broad application prospects at aspects such as optical communication, optical interconnection, optical storage, light demonstration, optical information processing, be considered to photoemissive Primary Component in the following digital optical communication.
Traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser, as shown in Figure 1, usually go up distribution Bragg reflector 1, active area part 8 and following distribution Bragg reflector 6 by growing on the substrate 7 and constitute, wherein active area part 8 is made up of p type limiting layer 2, gain region 3 and n type limiting layer 4.Active area partly provides gain, and upper and lower distribution Bragg reflector 1 and 7 forms resonant cavity, and feedback is provided.
Yet, the ubiquitous problem of traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser is at the direction of propagation of light active area thin (about 10nm), can't compare (active area is usually at 500~1000 μ m) fully with edge-emitting laser, this makes that the common vertical cavity surface emitting laser one way gain of light is extremely low, therefore cause the threshold current density height, and being difficult in little electric current injects down, obtain big power output, the upper and lower distribution Bragg reflector (usually reflectivity need more than 99.95%) that needs high reflectance simultaneously can be realized swashing and be penetrated.The reduction threshold current density of people's proposition at present, the main method that improves optical output power has the active area of reducing volume, reduce various light, electrical loss etc., as the most effective present method of carrying out electricity and some optical confinement is the wet nitrogen oxidation technology of AlGaAs, utilizes complicated growing technology and oxidation technology to change the pointed shape of AlGaAs oxide simultaneously.This has not only increased the technology difficulty of material growth and device preparation, the cost height, and rate of finished products is low, and along with the active area volume reduces, decrease in efficiency, spatial hole burning and thermal saturation phenomenon are serious, also can not reduce threshold current density, improve optical output power by infinitely reducing the active area volume.This is that present traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser is in the limit theoretical and that experimentally exist.
Another problem of traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser is that excitation wavelength is a single wavelength, can't in same device, obtain a plurality of wavelength, therefore, in some applications, people have to use the vertical cavity surface emitting laser of a plurality of different wave lengths to obtain a plurality of wavelength, like this, have not only increased cost, and can not be well integrated, reduce density.
Summary of the invention:
Purpose of the present invention proposes a kind of efficient, high-power, multi-wavelength, tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical chamber surface transmitting laser layer structure, make a pair of charge carrier that injects because the introducing of a plurality of active areas, in a plurality of active areas, walk, obtain the repeatedly gain of light, in the vertical cavity surface emitting laser that the present invention proposes, light gain by one path and optical output power form doubly with the increase of active area number to be increased, the one way gain of light that solves present traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser existence internally on the Physical Mechanism is low, efficient is low, luminous power output is low, on, following distribution Bragg reflector preparation requires problems such as height, and the vertical optical coupling structure of multiple-active-region greatly improves beam quality.Propose structures such as active area each layer thickness of part of device or material component by changing the present invention, can obtain a plurality of excitation wavelengths simultaneously.This is efficient, high-power, multi-wavelength, tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical chamber surface transmitting laser have high quantum efficiency, the advantages such as beam quality of the high one way gain of light, low-threshold power current density, the output of high luminous power, many excitation wavelengths and excellent performance.
High efficiency high power multiple wave length tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical cavity surface emitting laser of the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, include vertical successively stacked last distribution Bragg reflector 1, following distribution Bragg reflector 6, substrate 7, it is characterized in that, also be included between distribution Bragg reflector 1 and the following distribution Bragg reflector 6 N successively the order repeated arrangement active area part 8 and (N-1) repetitive structure of individual reverse tunnel knot 5 constitute big active area part 10, wherein N is the number at vertical cavity surface emitting laser of the present invention of traditional active area part 8, wherein the p type limiting layer 2 that from top to bottom is arranged in order by known technology of active area part 8, gain region 3, n type limiting layer 4 constitutes.
Vertical cavity surface emitting laser layer structure Design principle of the present invention is identical with traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser, by common practise, by adjusting the thickness and the component of active area part 8 each layers, make the optical thickness of big active area part 10 satisfy the integral multiple of λ/2.
The operation principle of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser that the present invention proposes is: the charge carrier recombination luminescence that is injected into the active area part produces photon, the charge carrier tunnelling is crossed the conduction band acquisition regeneration of tunnel junction to next active area simultaneously, proceed recombination luminescence, make each active area be in the light field maximum position in design, thereby when photon is vertically walked, obtain light amplification-be excited repeatedly successively at each active area, gain of light multiplication, it is efficient to make that the present invention proposes, high-power, multi-wavelength, the one way gain of light of tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical chamber surface transmitting laser and efficiency far are greater than the gain and the efficient of traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser, thereby efficient multiplication, beam quality improves, under identical injection current, optical output power is far longer than traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser.
The vertical cavity surface emitting laser that the present invention proposes, except significantly different with traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser on operation principle, also has an obvious characteristics, the quantum efficiency that is exactly the vertical cavity surface emitting laser of the present invention's proposition increases along with the increase of active area number, can be far longer than 1, and the quantum efficiency of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser of traditional structure is 1 to the maximum.
The present invention has adopted the p type limiting layer 2 that from top to bottom is arranged in order, the gain region 3 of single quantum well, Multiple Quantum Well or quantum-dot structure, and n type limiting layer 4 constitutes source region part 8.
The present invention has adopted reverse tunnel knot 5, and for helping reducing optical loss, the energy gap of its material is greater than the energy gap of emission wavelength correspondence; For increasing tunnelling probability, it is wide that the thickness ratio of reverse tunnel knot material exhausts width.
The active area part 8 of each repetitive structure and reverse tunnel knot 5 constitutes big active area part 10 among the present invention, and the photon that active area part 8 produces obtains the repeatedly gain of light in big active area 10.
Among the present invention the active area part 8 of each repetitive structure tie 5 structures with reverse tunnel can be identical, also can be different.Change 2,3,4 each layer thickness or the components that active area part 8 comprises according to prior art, make each active area part 8 structural parameters differences can obtain a plurality of excitation wavelengths simultaneously.Reverse tunnel ties 5 thickness or component can be different.
Tunnel junction structure among the present invention can be the homojunction structure, also can be heterojunction structure.
The layer structure that the present invention proposes is fit to all can prepare the material of vertical cavity surface emitting laser, and the device that is fit to all vertical cavity surface emitting lasers prepares structure.On basic layer architecture basics shown in Figure 2, as required, the corresponding layer structure that change obtains to be fit to the layer structure that different components prepares structure.
The layer structure that the present invention proposes is a basic layer structure, on this basic structure, multiple variation can be arranged, promptly can change the thickness and the component of active area part 8 each layers, increase or the minimizing number of plies, but basic functional principle is identical, promptly charge carrier obtains regeneration by the tunnel junction tunnelling, resonance obtains the repeatedly gain of light in the upper and lower distribution Bragg reflector of next active area continuation recombination luminescence and photon.
Description of drawings:
Fig. 1: traditional vertical cavity surface emitting laser device layer structural representation;
Among the figure: 1, go up distribution Bragg reflector, 2, p type limiting layer, 3, the gain region of single quantum well, Multiple Quantum Well or quantum-dot structure, 4, n type limiting layer, 6, distribution Bragg reflector down, 7, substrate, 8, the active area part;
Fig. 2: efficient, high-power, the multi-wavelength that proposes among the present invention, tunnel cascade multiple active area vertical chamber surface transmitting laser layer structural representation;
Among the figure: 1, go up distribution Bragg reflector, 2, p type limiting layer, 3, the gain region of single quantum well, Multiple Quantum Well or quantum-dot structure, 4, n type limiting layer, 5, reverse tunnel knot, 6, distribution Bragg reflector down, 7, substrate, 8, active area part, 9, abridged active area part 8 and reverse tunnel tie 5 stepped constructions, 10, big active area part;
Fig. 3: the inner chamber contact vertical cavity surface emitting laser layer structure and the device architecture schematic diagram of embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4: the air column type vertical cavity surface emitting laser layer structure and the device architecture schematic diagram of embodiment of the present invention;
Embodiment:
One, as shown in Figure 3, the implementation method of the wet nitrogen oxidation restriction of the inner chamber contact AlGaAs of the present invention's proposition multi-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser is as follows:
1. adopt common metal organic chemical gas-phase deposition (MOCVD) method at n
+ Distribution Bragg reflector 6 under 30 couples of GaAs/AlAs of epitaxial growth successively on the-GaAs substrate 7, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) n type limiting layer 4, In
0.2Ga
0.8As10nm/GaAs 10nm single quantum well gain region 3, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) p type limiting layer 2, n
+-GaAs/p
+-GaAs reverse tunnel knot 5, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) n type limiting layer 4, In
0.15Ga
0.85As 8nm/GaAs 10nm single quantum well gain region 3, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) p type limiting layer 2, n
+-GaAs/p
+-GaAs reverse tunnel knot 5, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) n type limiting layer 4, In
0.2Ga
0.8As 8nm/GaAs 10nm single quantum well gain region 3, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) p type limiting layer 2, Al
0.98Ga
0.02As wet nitrogen oxide layer 13,12,20 couples of GaAs/AlAs of GaAs ohmic contact layer go up distribution Bragg reflector 1;
2. adopt Ka Er Hughes (Karl Suss) mask aligner, make mask pattern by lithography.Adopt H
2SO
4: H
2O
2: H
2O=3: 1: 1 or H
3PO
4: H
2O
2: CH
3OH=3: 1: 1 corrosive liquid, in the corrosion distribution Bragg reflector 1 to the interface of GaAs ohmic contact layer 12;
3. H is adopted in technology photoetching routinely
2SO
4: H
2O
2: H
2O=3: 1: 1 or H
3PO
4: H
2O
2: CH
3OH=3: 1: 1 corrosive liquid, corrosion ohmic contact layer 12 and Al
0.98Ga
0.02As wet nitrogen oxide layer 13 arrives and Al
xGa
1-xThe interface of As (x<0.5) p type limiting layer 2 exposes Al
0.98Ga
0.02As wet nitrogen oxide layer 13 sidewalls;
4. carry out the wet nitrogen oxidation technology step of conventional AlGaAs.For obtaining good device performance, wet nitrogen oxidation limits the size of the oxide-aperture of vertical cavity surface emitting laser, and 2~50 μ m are generally adopted in this area;
5. technology routinely by evaporation or sputtered with Ti/Pt/Au, is prepared p type Ohm contact electrode 11, by the mechanochemistry corroding method sample is thinned to 100 μ m again, again Au/Ge/Ni/Au n type Ohm contact electrode 14 in evaporation or sputter on the substrate 7.
6. above-mentioned sample is put into 500 ℃ high temperature furnace, fed N
2, 5 minutes, the p type and the n type Ohm contact electrode of deposit carried out the common process alloy;
7. technology routinely, cleavage obtains the wet nitrogen oxidation restriction of high-gain inner chamber contact AlGaAs of the present invention multi-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser.
Two, as shown in Figure 4, the wet nitrogen oxidation of air column type AlGaAs that proposes of the present invention implementation method that limits single wavelength vertical cavity surface-emitting laser is as follows:
1. adopt common metal organic chemical gas-phase deposition (MOCVD) method at n
+ Distribution Bragg reflector 6 under 28 couples of GaAs/AlAs of epitaxial growth successively on the-GaAs substrate 7, Al
xGa
1-x4,3 pairs of GaAs/InGaAs multi-quantum pit structures of As (x<0.5) n type limiting layer gain region 3, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) p type limiting layer 2, n
+-AlGaAs/p
+-GaAs reverse tunnel knot 5, Al
xGa
1-x4,3 pairs of GaAs/InGaAs multi-quantum pit structures of As (x<0.5) n type limiting layer gain region 3, Al
xGa
1-xAs (x<0.5) p type limiting layer 2, Al
0.98Ga
0.02As wet nitrogen oxide layer 13,12,20 couples of GaAs/AlAs of GaAs ohmic contact layer go up distribution Bragg reflector 1;
2. adopt Ka Er Hughes (Karl Suss) mask aligner, make mask pattern by lithography.Adopt H
2SO
4, H
2O
2, H
2O or H
3PO
4, H
2O
2, CH
3The OH corrosive liquid, distribution Bragg reflector 1 is up to following distribution Bragg reflector 6 in the corrosion;
3. carry out the wet nitrogen oxidation technology step of conventional AlGaAs, above the active area part, obtain oxide-aperture.For obtaining good device performance, wet nitrogen oxidation limits the size of the oxide-aperture of vertical cavity surface emitting laser, and 2~50 μ m are generally adopted in this area;
4. technology is prepared p type Ohm contact electrode 11 by evaporation or sputtered with Ti/Pt/Au routinely, by the mechanochemistry corroding method sample is thinned to 100 μ m again, again Au/Ge/Ni/Au n type Ohm contact electrode 14 in evaporation or sputter on the substrate 7;
5. above-mentioned sample is put into 500 ℃ high temperature furnace, fed N
2, 5 minutes, the p type of deposit and n type Ohm contact electrode are carried out conventional alloy;
6. technology routinely, cleavage obtains the wet nitrogen oxidation of high-gain air column type AlGaAs of the present invention and limits single wavelength vertical cavity surface-emitting laser.