EP0847539A1

EP0847539A1 - Optical semiconductor component with deep ridged waveguide

Info

Publication number: EP0847539A1
Application number: EP97930508A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kaspar Dütting; Edgar Kühn
Original assignee: Alcatel SA; Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale dElectricite
Current assignee: Oclaro North America Inc
Priority date: 1996-06-28
Filing date: 1997-06-26
Publication date: 1998-06-17
Also published as: JPH11511870A; WO1998000738A1; DE19626130A1; US5933562A

Abstract

Digital optical telecommunication uses optical semiconductor components having a transition region for the expansion of the mode field of a light wave in order to reduce losses when coupling to an optical fibre or an optical waveguide of a supporting plate. An optical semiconductor component contains a deep ridged waveguide (RIDGE) with a surfacing (DS) disposed on a substrate (SUB). The ridged waveguide (RIDGE) has a first (MQW) and a second (BULK) waveguide centre, these being separated by a separating layer (SEP). The thickness of this separating layer increases in a transition region (UB1) along a longitudinal direction (L) of the ridged waveguide (RIDGE), thus increasing the vertical distance between the two waveguide centres (MQW, BULK).

Description

Optical semiconductor element with deep ribbed waveguide

The invention relates to an optically ^'it Hαlbleiterbαuelement according to claim. 1

Optical semiconductor components are used in digital optical communication e.g. used as transmitter or receiver components and coupled to optical waveguides of a carrier plate or to optical fibers. In particular, optical semiconductor components with a deep ribbed waveguide are used in the transmission of messages for the highest bit repetition frequencies, since they have the highest frequency bandwidth compared to optical semiconductor components with other types of waveguides due to their low electrical capacity.

A deep rib waveguide is an optical waveguide which is formed from a mesa-shaped rib resting on a substrate and contains waveguide layers in the rib which have a higher refractive index than the substrate. Especially when active, H. Controlled light-absorbing or amplifying deep rib waveguides, the rib contains optically active semiconductor layers and thus a zone which contains the transition from p-doped to n-doped semiconductor material. The rib, a few μm wide, is laterally surrounded by electrically non-conductive material with a significantly lower refractive index, e.g. Air or polyimide.

In contrast, a flat rib waveguide is understood to mean an optical waveguide in which at least a part of the existing ones Waveguide layers are arranged below a mesa-shaped rib a few μm wide. Particularly in the case of actively operated, flat rib waveguides, the optically active semiconductor layers are not part of the rib, as a result of which the zone which contains the transition from p-doped to n-doped semiconductor material is not laterally limited to the rib which is a few μm wide.

In order for a light wave guided in an optical semiconductor component to be coupled into an optical waveguide or an optical fiber with as little loss as possible, it is necessary for the mode field of the light wave in the semiconductor component to be matched to the mode field of a light wave in the optical waveguide or the optical fiber. For this purpose, the mode field of the light wave guided in the semiconductor component is expanded adiabatically along the direction of light propagation.

In order to adapt the mode field, waveguides are used in optical semiconductor components which have a transition region in which the waveguide or individual layers of the waveguide lie in the lateral direction, that is the direction in the substrate plane perpendicular to the direction of light propagation, or in the vertical direction, that is the direction perpendicular taper or widen to the substrate plane, along a longitudinal direction of the waveguide. Such a transition area is also called a taper. In particular, a vertical taper denotes a transition region in which the layer thickness of a semiconductor layer increases or decreases and a lateral taper denotes a transition region in which the width of a waveguide increases or decreases along a longitudinal direction.

In the article "Compact InGaAsP / InP laser diodes with integrated mode expander for efficient coupling to flat-ended singlemode fiber" (T. Brenner et al, Electron. Lett. Vol.31 No.7 1995, pp. 1443-1445) describes an optical semiconductor component with a flat ribbed waveguide. It contains an optically active waveguide layer and a rib waveguide arranged on this waveguide layer. The layer thickness of the optically active waveguide layer decreases in a transition region along a longitudinal direction of the rib waveguide in the direction of an exit facet of the component, and the rib waveguide widens laterally in the direction the exit facet. The rib waveguide including the transition area are equipped with electrodes and are actively operated by applying a voltage.

The semiconductor component described has a higher capacity than semiconductor components with a deeply etched rib waveguide, in particular in the actively operated one! Transition area. In addition, higher modes than the basic mode are excited in a rib waveguide, in which the mode field adaptation is carried out mainly by an actively operated lateral taper, so that such a waveguide loses unimodality.

The object of the invention is to provide an optical semiconductor component which is suitable for the highest transmission rates and which enables a loss-free coupling to an optical fiber or an optical waveguide.

The object is achieved by the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous refinements can be found in the dependent patent claims.

Two exemplary embodiments of an optical semiconductor component according to the invention are described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Show it:

1 shows a section through an optical according to the invention

Semiconductor component in a first exemplary embodiment along a longitudinal direction of a waveguide perpendicular to the substrate plane,

FIG. 2 shows the same section as FIG. 1 and additionally the qualitative course of the mode field of a light wave guided in the waveguide on both sides of a transition area,

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the semiconductor component of the first exemplary embodiment, Figure 4 shows a section through an optical according to the invention

Semiconductor component in a second exemplary embodiment along a longitudinal direction of a waveguide perpendicular to the substrate plane and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the semiconductor device of the second embodiment.

An optical semiconductor component according to the invention has a deep ridge waveguide arranged on a substrate. A basic idea of the invention is that this deep rib waveguide has two waveguide cores which are separated by a separation layer and that in a first transition region of the rib waveguide the layer thickness of the separation layer increases along a longitudinal direction of the rib waveguide, which increases the vertical distance between the two waveguide cores. This first transition region serves to adapt the mode field of a light wave guided in the rib waveguide to the mode field of a light wave in an optical fiber or an optical waveguide located on a carrier plate.

An advantage of the invention is that the adaptation of the mode field in the first transition region is independent of a variation in the layer thickness of the first waveguide core along the longitudinal direction of the rib waveguide. The first waveguide core can contain optically active semiconductor layers whose energy band gap is determined by their layer thickness and material composition. In this case, the adaptation of the mode field is independent of the energy band gap of the optically active semiconductor layers and the optical semiconductor component can thus be active, i.e. controlled light-amplifying or light-absorbing waveguide areas and passive, i.e. Have light-transmitting waveguide areas.

FIG. 1 shows a section through an optical semiconductor component BEI according to the invention in a first exemplary embodiment. The section runs perpendicular to the plane of a substrate SUB along a longitudinal direction L of a deep rib waveguide RIDGE. The deep rib waveguide RIDGE is arranged on the substrate SUB and, applied one above the other, contains a buffer layer BUF, a first waveguide core MQW, a separation layer SEP, a second waveguide core BULK, a cover layer DS and a metal contact layer MK.

The first and the second waveguide core MQW, BULK each have a refractive index that is greater than the refractive indices of the cover layer DS, the separation layer SEP, the buffer layer BUF and the substrate SUB. As a result, a light wave is mainly guided in the two waveguide cores MQW, BULK. The first waveguide core MQW is separated from the second waveguide core BULK by the separation layer SEP.

In a first transition region UB1, the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP increases along the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide RIDGE. This increases the vertical distance between the first and the second waveguide core MQW, BULK. This causes the mode field of a light wave guided in the rib waveguide RIDGE to be expanded. The increase in the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP is such that the mode field of the light wave guided in the rib waveguide RIDGE is matched to the mode field of a light wave in an optical fiber or an optical waveguide located on a carrier plate. In the exemplary embodiment, the increase in the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP is so great that the layer thickness approximately triples over a length of 100 μm.

It is particularly advantageous if the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP increases continuously along the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide RIDGE. The light wave guided in the rib waveguide RIDGE is then scattered and absorbed particularly little in the first transition region UB1. The increase in the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP along the longitudinal direction L of the ridge waveguide RIDGE can be linear, as in the first exemplary embodiment, or, for example, also exponential. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which a particularly strong expansion of the mode field is achieved, the second waveguide core BULK is designed in such a way that its layer thickness also increases in the transition region UB1 along the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide RIDGE, specifically along the same direction, along which the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP also increases. This is also shown in the first embodiment.

The optical semiconductor component BEI in the first exemplary embodiment has an end face F from which light signals emerge or through which light signals can enter the optical semiconductor component BEI. An optical fiber or an optical waveguide located on a carrier plate can be coupled to this end face F. For this purpose, the separation layer SEP is formed in such a way that its layer thickness increases along the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide RIDGE towards the end face F.

The first waveguide core MQW contains a semiconductor layer package with a multi-quantum well structure, that is a semiconductor layer package consisting of semiconductor layers with alternating large and small bandgap energy. Band gap energy is to be understood as the energetic difference between the valence band and the conduction band of the material from which the layer consists. These semiconductor layers have the same layer thickness in all areas of the rib waveguide RIDGE. Therefore, the semiconductor device BEI becomes active in all areas of the RIDGE ribbed waveguide, i.e. controlled operated light amplifying or light absorbing. The function of the component described can be, for example, that of a directly modulatable laser or of an optical amplifier.

In the first exemplary embodiment, substrate SUB, buffer layer BUF, cover layer DS and separation layer SEP consist of a semiconductor of the III / V connection type, such as InP or GaAs. The two waveguide cores MQW, BULK consist of ternary or quaternary mixed crystals from elements of main groups III and V, such as InGaAsP, InGaAs or InGaAlP. However, compounds of elements of main groups II and VI, IV and IV or I and VII are also suitable for the semiconductor component, depending on the wavelength at which the semiconductor component is to operate. In FIG. 2, in addition to the section from FIG. 1, the course of the mode field of a light wave guided in the ribbed waveguide RIDGE is drawn qualitatively on both sides of the first transition region UBL. In this case, for example, the amount of the electric field vector of the light wave is plotted in the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide RIDGE and a position coordinate perpendicular to the substrate plane. It is clear from the diagrams shown that the mode field of the light wave is widened by the increase in the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP, since a light wave is mainly conducted in semiconductor layers with a higher refractive index than the surrounding material.

The optical semiconductor component BEI according to the invention has, in addition to minimized coupling losses when coupled to an optical fiber or an optical waveguide of a carrier plate, the additional advantage that an adjustment between the semiconductor component and the fiber or carrier plate is simplified, since higher adjustment tolerances are permissible for a low-loss coupling in conventional optical semiconductor components with a deep rib waveguide. For example, in the case of the semiconductor component BEI in the first exemplary embodiment, the coupling losses increase by only about 1 dB when the misalignment is 2 μm. Furthermore, no microlenses are required when coupling to an optical fiber and simple, single-mode optical fibers with a flat end can be used.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the semiconductor component BEI in the first exemplary embodiment. The substrate SUB can be seen, on which the deep ridge waveguide RIDGE lies. The RIDGE rib waveguide has the shape of a mesa stripe. A metal contact layer MK is applied over the entire length of the RIDGE rib waveguide. In the first transition region UBL, the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP increases along the longitudinal direction L.

The rib waveguide RIDGE has a termination in the form of an integrated cylindrical lens LENS on its end face F. The footprint of this Integrated cylindrical lens LENS can be hyperbolic, parabolic or in the form of a circular segment.

The particular advantage of this design is that the cylindrical lens causes the mode field of the light wave to be expanded further. With a suitable shape of the base of the cylindrical lens it can be achieved that the mode field of the emerging light wave is symmetrical, i. H. that the emerging light wave creates a circular light spot instead of an elliptical one. Coupling losses are minimal in this version with a symmetrical mode field.

FIG. 4 shows an optical semiconductor component BE2 according to the invention in section in a second exemplary embodiment. As in FIG. 1, the section runs perpendicular to the plane of a substrate SUB along a longitudinal direction L of a deep rib waveguide RIDGE.

The semiconductor component BE2 of the second exemplary embodiment is constructed similarly to that of the first. The deep rib waveguide RIDGE lies on the substrate SUB. This deep rib waveguide RIDGE contains a buffer layer BUF, a first waveguide core MQW, a separation layer SEP, a second waveguide core BULK, a cover layer DS and a metal contact layer MK. In a first transition region UBL, the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP and the layer thickness of the second waveguide core BULK increase along the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide RIDGE in the direction of an end face F.

In the second exemplary embodiment too, the first waveguide core MQW contains a semiconductor layer package with a multi-quantum well structure. In contrast to the first exemplary embodiment, the semiconductor layers of the multi-quantum well structure do not have the same layer thickness in all regions of the rib waveguide RIDGE. In a second transition region UB2, the layer thickness of the individual semiconductor layers decreases along the longitudinal direction L of the ridge waveguide RIDGE. The layer thickness of the individual semiconductor layers decreases in the direction in which the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP increases. The energy gap of the multi-quantum well structure and thus the wavelength at which a multi-quantum well structure is optically active depends essentially on the layer thickness of its individual semiconductor layers. Due to the decrease in the layer thickness of the individual semiconductor layers in the second transition region UB2, the wavelength at which the multi-quantum well structure is optically active shifts to shorter wavelengths. This makes it possible to operate a part of the RIDGE rib waveguide passively, ie to transmit light unamplified. The optical semiconductor component BE2 has an active waveguide region AKT, in which the semiconductor layers have a greater layer thickness, and a passive waveguide region PAS, in which the semiconductor layers have a smaller layer thickness. A M ^{'etallkontaktschicht} MK is applied only in the active waveguide region AKT on the ridge waveguide RIDGE.

The second transition region UB2 is advantageously arranged such that it overlaps at least partially with the first transition region UB1. As a result, the overall length of the semiconductor component BE2 is shorter. However, it is advantageous if the second transition region UB2 is arranged in the longitudinal direction L partially in front of or in the front part of the first transition region UBl, since then the active waveguide region AKT, which must be pumped by injecting a current, then does not cover the whole extends first transition area UBl, whereby the power requirement is reduced and the electrical capacity is reduced.

The particular advantage of the optical semiconductor component BE2 of the second exemplary embodiment lies in the fact that the adaptation of the mode field of a light wave in the first transition area UBL is independent of a change in the energy band gap of the multi-quantum well structure. The main result of this is that the optical semiconductor component BE2 operates independently of polarization, ie that it processes light signals with different polarization directions in the same way. FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the optical semiconductor component BE2 of the second exemplary embodiment. The substrate SUB is shown with the deep ridge waveguide RIDGE arranged thereon.

In the first transition region UBL, the layer thickness of the separation layer SEP increases along the longitudinal direction L. In the second transition region UB2, the layer thickness of the individual layers of the multi-quantum well structure of the first waveguide core MQW decreases in the longitudinal direction L, as a result of which the rib waveguide RIDGE has an active AKT and a passive PAS waveguide region. In a third transition region, the width of the rib waveguide RIDGE increases along the longitudinal direction L towards the end face F. This causes an additional expansion of the mode field of a light wave guided in the RIDGE rib waveguide, in particular in the lateral direction.

The third transition area UB3 is arranged such that it is at least largely behind the second transition area UB2 in the longitudinal direction L and partially overlaps with the first transition area UB1. Thus, the third transition region UB3, in which the rib waveguide RIDGE widens laterally, is located completely or at least largely in the passive waveguide region PAS, and no modes of higher order can be excited as a result, even with strong lateral broadening. The RIDGE ribbed waveguide is therefore single-mode.

The particular advantage of the broadening of the RIDGE ribbed waveguide is that an emerging light wave with a suitable dimensioning of the broadening has a symmetrical mode field, as a result of which coupling losses are minimized.

Claims

claims

1 . Optical semiconductor component (BEI; BE2), which has a substrate (SUB) and a deep rib waveguide (RIDGE) arranged on the substrate (SUB) with a cover layer (DS), in which

The rib waveguide (RIDGE) contains a first (MQW) and a second (BULK) waveguide core, the refractive indices of which are each larger than the refractive indices of the cover layer (DS) and the substrate (SUB),

• The two waveguide cores (MQW, BULK) are separated at least in a first transition region (UBl) by a separation layer (SEP) that has a refractive index that is smaller than the refractive indices of the two waveguide cores (MQW, BULK) and

• The layer thickness of the separation layer (SEP) increases in the first transition region (ÜBT) along a longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide (RIDGE) and the vertical distance between the waveguide cores (MQW, BULK) increases along this longitudinal direction L.

2. Optical Hαlbleiterbαuelement (BEI; BE2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it has an end face (F) for incoming or outgoing light signals and the layer thickness of the separation layer (SEP) along the longitudinal direction L of the rib waveguide to the end face (F) increases.

3. Optical semiconductor component (BEI; BE2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the increase in the separation layer takes place continuously.

4. Optical semiconductor component (BEI; BE2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the layer thickness of the second waveguide core (BULK) increases in the first transition region (UBl) along the same direction (t) as the layer thickness of the separation layer (SEP).

5. Optical semiconductor component (BEI; BE2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first waveguide core (MQW) contains a semiconductor layer package with a multi-quantum well structure.

6. Optical semiconductor component (BEI; BE2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the thickness of individual layers of the semiconductor layer package of the first waveguide core (MQW) decreases in a second transition region (UB2) along the same direction (L) along which the increase in the layer thickness the separation layer (SEP).

7. Optical semiconductor component (BEI; BE2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the rib waveguide (RIDGE) increases in a third transition region (UB3) along the same direction (L) along which the increase in the layer thickness of the separation layer (SEP) he follows.

8. Optical Hαlbleiterbαuelement (BEI; BE2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rib waveguide (RIDGE) on the end face (F) has a closure (LENS) in the form of an integrated cylindrical lens with a hyperbolic, parabolic or circular segment-shaped base.