Oxygen-doped Al-containing current blocking layers in active semiconductor devices in photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
US6921925B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jul 26, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 17, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E10/544
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In photonic integrated circuits (PICs) having at least one active semiconductor device, such as, a buried heterostructure semiconductor laser, LED, modulator, photodiode, heterojunction bipolar transistor, field effect transistor or other active device, a plurality of semiconductor layers are formed on a substrate with one of the layers being an active region. A current channel is formed through this active region defined by current blocking layers formed on adjacent sides of a designated active region channel where the blocking layers substantially confine the current through the channel. The blocking layers are characterized by being an aluminum-containing Group III-V compound, i.e., an Al-III-V layer, intentionally doped with oxygen from an oxide source. Also, wet oxide process or a deposited oxide source may be used to laterally form a native oxide of the Al-III-V layer. An example of a material system for this invention useful at optical telecommunication wavelengths is InGaAsP/InP where the Al-III-V layer comprises InAlAs:O or InAlAs:O:Fe. Other materials for the blocking layers may be InAlGaAs or alternating layers or alternating monolayers of AlAs/InAs. Thus, the O-doped bl…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.