Patent · US Expired

Delta-strained quantum-well semiconductor lasers and optical amplifiers

US5579331A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
3References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 31, 1995
Grant dateNov 26, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 31, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S5/50
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A quantum-well semiconductor laser/amplifier mounted on a highly conductive semiconductor substrate. Inactive regions include a highly doped N-region and a highly doped P-region. The N-region is composed of semiconductor material mounted on the substrate. The active region includes a quantum-well heterostructure of intrinsic semiconductor material that mounts on the N-region. The quantum-well structure includes a series of quantum wells, each having barrier layers, quantum-well layers, and a delta-strained layer mounted near the center of the quantum wells. The delta-strained layers are very thin, being formed from a number of mono-layers of semiconductor material. There is a large lattice mismatch between each of the delta-strained layers and its adjacent quantum-well layers. The band edges of the quantum-well layers and the delta-strained layers are located at substantially the same level. The P-region is composed of a semiconductor material that mounts on the quantum-well structure. A conductive contact is joined to the P-region. When used as a semiconductor laser, the active region forms a resonant laser cavity.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.