WO1995031741A1 - Composant a semi-conducteur a guide d'ondes ramifie - Google Patents

Composant a semi-conducteur a guide d'ondes ramifie Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1995031741A1
WO1995031741A1 PCT/DE1995/000612 DE9500612W WO9531741A1 WO 1995031741 A1 WO1995031741 A1 WO 1995031741A1 DE 9500612 W DE9500612 W DE 9500612W WO 9531741 A1 WO9531741 A1 WO 9531741A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
layer
waveguide
layers
region
double
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/DE1995/000612
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Bernhard STEGMÜLLER
Original Assignee
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft filed Critical Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Publication of WO1995031741A1 publication Critical patent/WO1995031741A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B6/122—Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
    • G02B6/125—Bends, branchings or intersections
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B6/12007—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
    • H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/06—Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium
    • H01S5/062—Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium by varying the potential of the electrodes
    • H01S5/06203—Transistor-type lasers
    • H01S5/06206—Controlling the frequency of the radiation, e.g. tunable twin-guide lasers [TTG]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
    • H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
    • H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region
    • H01S5/1028—Coupling to elements in the cavity, e.g. coupling to waveguides adjacent the active region, e.g. forward coupled [DFC] structures
    • H01S5/1032—Coupling to elements comprising an optical axis that is not aligned with the optical axis of the active region
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01S—DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
    • H01S5/00—Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/10—Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region
    • H01S5/1053—Comprising an active region having a varying composition or cross-section in a specific direction
    • H01S5/106—Comprising an active region having a varying composition or cross-section in a specific direction varying thickness along the optical axis

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a semiconductor component with a branched integrated waveguide, in particular a VMZ laser diode.
  • Forks of waveguides in semiconductor components are said to couple little energy of the guided light waves in radiation modes.
  • the y-shaped branches of the waveguides must form a very small angle and the separating layers between the waveguide branches must be as pointed as possible. Unwanted mode jumps can already occur if the angle between the two branches of a waveguide branching is greater than 1 °.
  • J. E. Zucker et al . "Interferometric Quantum Well Modulators with Gain” in Journ. of Lightwave Techno1. 10, 924 to 932 (1992) describes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer as a branched waveguide in InP.
  • a VMZ laser diode is e.g. B. in the German patent application P 44 01 444.9 described.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a structure for a branched waveguide integrated in a semiconductor component, in which the opening angle of two waveguide branches is sufficiently small or increases slowly enough to effectively prevent radiation losses.
  • This integrated waveguide structure should in particular be suitable for the construction of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. For this purpose, a sufficiently simple manufacturing process should be specified.
  • the strip-shaped waveguide is divided in one area into two branches arranged vertically with respect to one another with respect to the layer structure.
  • the waveguide is formed from a plurality of individual layers grown one above the other. A middle one of these layers is grown substantially thicker in a section of the waveguide than in the sections adjoining in the longitudinal direction of the waveguide. In this way, the layer sequence forming the waveguide is divided into two parts which are separated from one another by this thick layer. In transition areas in which the branching of the waveguide onto the two branches takes place, the thickness of this layer is continuously reduced to the size of the other layers, so that the branching of the waveguide is effected in this way. In the following the areas in which the waveguide is not branched are referred to as single areas and the areas in which the waveguide is divided into two branches are referred to as double areas.
  • FIG. 1 shows a component with the wave guide according to the invention in a longitudinal section.
  • Figures 2 and 3 show the cross sections designated in Figure 1.
  • Figure 4 shows an alternative to Figure 1 embodiment.
  • a buffer layer 2 which can also be omitted, is first grown on a substrate 1.
  • the waveguide which is formed by a layer 5 in the single regions and by a lower layer 6 and an upper layer 7 in the double region shown.
  • these layers 6, 7 of the waveguide are separated from one another by a separating layer 3, so that here separate waveguiding, but at the same time also coupling of the guided modes, is possible.
  • this separating layer 3 has the indicated thickness 11 in the double region.
  • branching regions 10 the waveguide is branched continuously from the layer 5 of the individual region into the two layers 6, 7 of the double region.
  • a contact 9 provided for current injection is located on the top side and is electrically insulated from the semiconductor material outside the double region by an insulating layer 8.
  • the cross section shown in FIG. 2 through a single region shows the strip-shaped waveguide 5, which here consists of several individual layers and has the width 13.
  • the cover layer 4 is applied to the layer 5 of the waveguide and fills the area between the side areas 12 of semiconductor material in a planarizing manner.
  • the metal layer of the contact 9 is electrically insulated from the semiconductor material of this cover layer 4 by the insulating layer 8.
  • a corresponding cross section is shown in FIG shown the double area.
  • the two layers 6, 7 of the waveguide are separated from one another here by the separating layer 3.
  • the strip-shaped layer structure is also laterally bordered by the side regions 12 made of semiconductor material.
  • the planarizing cover layer 4 is applied to the top.
  • the contact 9 is located here in the strip-shaped region of the waveguide directly on the semiconductor material of this cover layer 4 or a highly doped contact layer 14 applied thereon, but is electrically insulated laterally therefrom by the insulating layer 8.
  • the dashed lines indicate the hidden contours of the side area 12.
  • Other contacts provided for the current injection are z. B. on the underside of the substrate 1 or laterally to the strip-shaped waveguide structure.
  • the waveguide consists of a sequence of several individual layers.
  • the middle of the layers is widened to the thickness 11 in the double region and forms the separating layer 3.
  • the number of layers grown is therefore the same over the length of the waveguide.
  • the layer 5 of the waveguide has the same number of individual layers as in the double region, both layers 6, 7 of the waveguide and the separating layer 3, ie the entire area encompassed by the layers 6, 7 of the waveguide.
  • all layers are grown relatively thicker than in the individual regions.
  • the layer thickness in the branching regions 10 increases continuously.
  • the layer 5 of the waveguide has a maximum thickness of 0.2 ⁇ m in the individual areas.
  • the lower layer 6 and the upper layer 7 of the waveguide have a thickness of 0.01 to 0.3 ⁇ m in each case in the double region.
  • the length of the branch region 10 is typically at least 30 ⁇ m.
  • the section of the double region between these branching areas can be shorter than 5 mm his.
  • the width 13 of the waveguide shown in FIG. 2 in the individual areas is z. B. 5 ⁇ m maximum.
  • Layers of different thicknesses or continuously increasing thicknesses can, for. B. produce by adapting the conditions when growing to the required thicknesses of these layers. Depending on the epitaxial process, the layer growth is accelerated or slowed down by widening the opening of the mask used.
  • the shape of the mask opening can therefore be used in epitaxy to determine in which sections of the waveguide which layer thicknesses grow.
  • a uniform width of the layer structure of the strip-shaped waveguide can, for. B. can be achieved by subsequent anisotropic etching using a mask with a rectangular opening.
  • the side areas are then evenly filled with semiconductor material.
  • the planarization takes place through the top layer 4, which can optionally consist of several layer layers.
  • the buffer layer 2 or an upper portion of the buffer layer 2 in the branching areas can be grown with increasing thickness. The greater thickness of all the individual layers in the double region compared to the individual region and the steady decrease in the layer thicknesses present in the branching regions on the longitudinal outlets of the double region are illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • the separating layer 3 can be a layer separated from the waveguide layers. This separating layer 3 is then grown using a mask which completely covers the individual areas.
  • the different layers of the waveguide can each be single-layer or multi-layer layers.
  • the layer 5 of the waveguide comprises at least three layers in the individual regions, of which the lower layer continues the waveguide into the lower layer 6 of the double region, the middle layer extends to the separating layer 3 of the double area in each case expands and the upper layer the upper Forms layer 7 in the double region.
  • the opening angle of the waveguide in the branches is greatly exaggerated in FIG. 1. With the structure according to the invention, very small opening angles of the waveguides can be produced without the problems occurring at a horizontal realization of the waveguide branching occurring at the branching points.
  • the buffer layer 2 which can in principle also be omitted, grew thinner as an example in the double region than in the individual regions.
  • the waveguide forks are curved in an S-shape here.
  • the opening angle between the (tangential) directions of the branches of the waveguide in the waveguide forks gradually increases from 0 to a maximum and then back to 0, so that the layers 6, 7 of the waveguide are straight in the middle section of the double region and are guided parallel to each other.
  • the separating layer 3 is shown as the middle layer of the layer 5 of the waveguide in the individual regions.
  • an active layer for radiation generation and a tuning layer can be arranged one above the other in the layer structure of the waveguide in the double region.
  • This tuning layer and this active layer can be separated from one another by a separating layer both in the lower layer 6 or the upper layer 7 of the waveguide in the double region.
  • the tuning layer and the active layer can be distributed over the lower layer 6 of the waveguide and the upper layer 7. Separate current injection into these two layers takes place above and in between located doped layers of semiconductor material.
  • the separating layer 3 consists of doped semiconductor material.
  • the portion of the top layer 4 located on the upper side of the upper layer 7 and at least the portion of the buffer layer 2 located under the lower layer 6 are also doped.
  • the signs of the doping are selected so that current is separated into the active layer and contacts via the top surface of the component via contacts connected to the regions in an electrically conductive manner (eg via lateral doped semiconductor regions and / or the doped substrate 1) the tuning layer can be injected.
  • an electrically conductive manner eg via lateral doped semiconductor regions and / or the doped substrate 1
  • Zehnder interferometer are manufactured, which avoids the disadvantages of previously tunable VMZ laser diodes at the abrupt transitions between single and double areas.
  • Preferred semiconductor materials for the described exemplary embodiment are e.g. B. InP or GaAs for the substrate 1, a sequence of alternating InGaAsP and InGaAlAs for the MQW individual layers (this may include the separating layer 3), InP for the buffer layer 2 which may be present, the cover layer 4 and possibly the separating layer 3 and conventional dielectric materials such as Al 2 O 3 or SiO x for the insulating layer 8.
  • a sufficiently low-resistance transition between the semiconductor material and the metal of the contact 9 is achieved by at least an upper layer portion of the covering layer 4 being highly doped.
  • a contact layer 14 see FIGS.
  • the side regions 12 can be semi-insulating Fe: InP or electrically conductive doped InP. All
  • Layers 5, 6, 7 of the waveguide can be undoped.
  • the substrate for the conductivity type of the buffer layer 2 is also doped.
  • the doped regions in the side regions 12 are preferably delimited laterally by insulation regions. The contact is made by contacts on the upper side, which are each connected in an electrically conductive manner to the areas and layers to be connected by doped areas of the appropriate sign.
  • the electrical connection through the contact 9 can be omitted. It is possible to attach several double regions of the type shown along the waveguide.
  • Layers of the waveguide can be braced in one or more layers or be braced.
  • the materials and doping used can in principle correspond to those of waveguide branches produced horizontally in the layer plane.
  • the thickness of the separating layer 3 can also vary over the entire length of the double region.
  • the layers of the waveguide can bend in the branching regions 10 at the longitudinal ends of the double region or, as in FIG. 4, gradually approach one another without a sudden change in direction, so that the
  • Tips of the separating layer 3 run particularly flat in the waveguide forks.
  • this component is designed as a VMZ laser diode
  • the layers of the waveguide in the double region are arranged so closely adjacent to one another and provided with dimensions and material compositions that a coupling between different modes carried in these layers occurs in the double region.
  • the length of the double region is approximately a natural multiple of the coupling length belonging to these modes.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Optical Integrated Circuits (AREA)
  • Semiconductor Lasers (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un composant à semi-conducteur à guide d'ondes (5, 6, 7) en forme de bande, qui présente une ramification verticale en deux couches (6, 7) superposées. On obtient une couche de séparation (3) située entre les deux couches, en établissant de manière appropriée, les conditions de croissance, pendant la croissance des couches, de manière à ce que l'épaisseur (11) de cette couche de séparation (3) augmente de manière continue dans les sections de la ramification. Le nombre de couches individuelles est toujours le même dans le sens vertical.
PCT/DE1995/000612 1994-05-18 1995-05-09 Composant a semi-conducteur a guide d'ondes ramifie WO1995031741A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEP4417412.8 1994-05-18
DE4417412 1994-05-18

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1995031741A1 true WO1995031741A1 (fr) 1995-11-23

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Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO1995031741A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19605794A1 (de) * 1996-02-16 1997-08-21 Sel Alcatel Ag Monolithisch integriertes optisches oder optoelektronisches Halbleiterbauelement und Herstellungsverfahren
DE19626113A1 (de) * 1996-06-28 1998-01-02 Sel Alcatel Ag Optisches Halbleiterbauelement mit tiefem Rippenwellenleiter
DE19626130A1 (de) * 1996-06-28 1998-01-08 Sel Alcatel Ag Optisches Halbleiterbauelement mit tiefem Rippenwellenleiter

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4159452A (en) * 1978-01-13 1979-06-26 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Dual beam double cavity heterostructure laser with branching output waveguides
EP0337551A1 (fr) * 1988-04-12 1989-10-18 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Dispositif de couplage de rayonnement
US5285068A (en) * 1990-02-26 1994-02-08 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Photo-detector and photo-detection method using the same

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4159452A (en) * 1978-01-13 1979-06-26 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated Dual beam double cavity heterostructure laser with branching output waveguides
EP0337551A1 (fr) * 1988-04-12 1989-10-18 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Dispositif de couplage de rayonnement
US5285068A (en) * 1990-02-26 1994-02-08 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Photo-detector and photo-detection method using the same

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
H. SAKATA UND S. TAKEUCHI: "Wavelength tuning in a grating assisted vertical coupler filter using quantum well electrorefraction", APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS., vol. 59, no. 24, 9 December 1991 (1991-12-09), NEW YORK US, pages 3081 - 3083 *
K. KISHIOKA UND H. OCHIAI: "Wavelength Demultiplexer Utilizing Stratified Waveguides with a Tapered Buffer Layer", IEICE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRONICS, vol. E76-C, no. 10, October 1993 (1993-10-01), TOKYO JP, pages 1491 - 1497 *

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19605794A1 (de) * 1996-02-16 1997-08-21 Sel Alcatel Ag Monolithisch integriertes optisches oder optoelektronisches Halbleiterbauelement und Herstellungsverfahren
US5889902A (en) * 1996-02-16 1999-03-30 Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale D'electricite Monolithic integrated optoelectronic semiconductor component and process for manufacturing the same
DE19626113A1 (de) * 1996-06-28 1998-01-02 Sel Alcatel Ag Optisches Halbleiterbauelement mit tiefem Rippenwellenleiter
DE19626130A1 (de) * 1996-06-28 1998-01-08 Sel Alcatel Ag Optisches Halbleiterbauelement mit tiefem Rippenwellenleiter

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