Semiconductor laser

US4359775A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Licentia Patent-Verwaltungs-GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Peter Marschall · Heilbronn, DE
• Klaus Petermann · Wedel, DE
• Ewald Schlosser · Senden, DE
• Hans-Peter Vollmer
• Claus Wolk · Erbach, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 15, 1980
• Grant date: Nov 16, 1982
• Expiry date: Aug 15, 2000

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/2059
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A semi-conductor laser comprising a crystal having a sequence of layers forming a heterostructure diode and which includes a laser active zone interposed between a pair of semiconductor layers. Each of these semi-conductor layers has a band gap which is greater than that of the layers within the laser active zone. The laser active zone includes a first semiconductor layer having a given band gap, and at least second and third semiconductor layers each having a band gap which is greater than that of the first layer. The first layer is contiguous with and interposed between semiconductor layers each having a band gap which is greater than that of said first layer and forms a pn-junction with one of those contiguous layers. A strip-shaped region of a uniform conductivity type diffused from the surface of the crystal penetrates into at least one layer of the laser active zone but does not penetrate into the first layer.