Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
  • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
  • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
  • G02F1/015—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on semiconductor elements having potential barriers, e.g. having a PN or PIN junction
  • G02F1/017—Structures with periodic or quasi periodic potential variation, e.g. superlattices, quantum wells
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
  • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
  • B82Y20/00—Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F30/00—Individual radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices in which radiation controls the flow of current through the devices, e.g. photodetectors
  • H10F30/20—Individual radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices in which radiation controls the flow of current through the devices, e.g. photodetectors the devices having potential barriers, e.g. phototransistors
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F30/00—Individual radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices in which radiation controls the flow of current through the devices, e.g. photodetectors
  • H10F30/20—Individual radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices in which radiation controls the flow of current through the devices, e.g. photodetectors the devices having potential barriers, e.g. phototransistors
  • H10F30/21—Individual radiation-sensitive semiconductor devices in which radiation controls the flow of current through the devices, e.g. photodetectors the devices having potential barriers, e.g. phototransistors the devices being sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F71/00—Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass
  • H10F71/127—The active layers comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs or InP
  • H10F71/1272—The active layers comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs or InP comprising at least three elements, e.g. GaAlAs or InGaAsP
  • H10F71/1274—The active layers comprising only Group III-V materials, e.g. GaAs or InP comprising at least three elements, e.g. GaAlAs or InGaAsP comprising nitrides, e.g. InGaN or InGaAlN
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10F—INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
  • H10F77/00—Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass
  • H10F77/10—Semiconductor bodies
  • H10F77/14—Shape of semiconductor bodies; Shapes, relative sizes or dispositions of semiconductor regions within semiconductor bodies
  • H10F77/146—Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures
• • 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
  • H01S5/30—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region
  • H01S5/305—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region characterised by the doping materials used in the laser structure
  • H01S5/3086—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region characterised by the doping materials used in the laser structure doping of the active layer
• • 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
  • H01S5/30—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region
  • H01S5/34—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region comprising quantum well or superlattice structures, e.g. single quantum well [SQW] lasers, multiple quantum well [MQW] lasers or graded index separate confinement heterostructure [GRINSCH] lasers
  • H01S5/3401—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region comprising quantum well or superlattice structures, e.g. single quantum well [SQW] lasers, multiple quantum well [MQW] lasers or graded index separate confinement heterostructure [GRINSCH] lasers having no PN junction, e.g. unipolar lasers, intersubband lasers, quantum cascade lasers
  • H01S5/3402—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region comprising quantum well or superlattice structures, e.g. single quantum well [SQW] lasers, multiple quantum well [MQW] lasers or graded index separate confinement heterostructure [GRINSCH] lasers having no PN junction, e.g. unipolar lasers, intersubband lasers, quantum cascade lasers intersubband lasers, e.g. transitions within the conduction or valence bands
• • 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
  • H01S5/30—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region
  • H01S5/34—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region comprising quantum well or superlattice structures, e.g. single quantum well [SQW] lasers, multiple quantum well [MQW] lasers or graded index separate confinement heterostructure [GRINSCH] lasers
  • H01S5/343—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region comprising quantum well or superlattice structures, e.g. single quantum well [SQW] lasers, multiple quantum well [MQW] lasers or graded index separate confinement heterostructure [GRINSCH] lasers in AIIIBV compounds, e.g. AlGaAs-laser, InP-based laser
  • H01S5/34333—Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region comprising quantum well or superlattice structures, e.g. single quantum well [SQW] lasers, multiple quantum well [MQW] lasers or graded index separate confinement heterostructure [GRINSCH] lasers in AIIIBV compounds, e.g. AlGaAs-laser, InP-based laser with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
  • Y02E10/544—Solar cells from Group III-V materials

Definitions

• the present invention relates to electro-optical components with interstage transition by quantum confinement between two group III nitride materials.
• It also relates to devices or systems including such components, as well as a method of manufacturing such a component.
• the invention is in the field of optoelectronics and photonics, in particular for applications in the fields of optical telecommunications and optical interconnections in integrated circuits.
• the field of optoelectronics comprises different types of components processing or generating light, for example to emit light signals intended to measure a quantity as in interferometry, or as in the field of telecommunications to communicate by signals comprising modulated light transmitted in optical fibers.
• an electro-optical modulator is an element for transferring information from an electrical signal to an optical wave, for example to transform digital information in electronic form into an optical digital signal which will be sent to an optical signal.
• an optical fiber for long distance transmission.
• emitters may take the form of a conventional diode
• non-coherent or a laser diode, for example to serve as a light source.
• optoelectronic components may also be electrically controllable wavelength tunable optical filters for separating certain wavelengths or extracting a channel from a multi-band transmission, devices for optical routing reconfigurable to electrical control or light detectors for example for transforming light signals into electronic signals in a reception or retransmission system.
• quantum structures may have different shapes such as two-dimensional quantum thickness layers forming quantum wells, alternating with two-dimensional layers forming barrier layers. Structures are also used including quantum "boxes", for example of substantially cylindrical shape, or even in the form of nano wires, embedded in a barrier material.
• the wavelengths used are those of the near infrared (NIR for "near infra red”), and more particularly of the order of 800 nm to 1600 nm, typically 1.55 microns.
• NIR near infra red
• pairs of materials such as InGaAsP to form quantum structures, for example quantum well layers (QW for "Quantum WeII"), and InAIAs or InP for barrier structures.
• the material forming the quantum well is chosen for its narrower band gap than that of the barrier material.
• These m aterials are used for example to create bipolar electro-optic modulators (ie two types of carrier: electrons and holes) with an interband transition (" interband ”) operating by absorption.
• interband interband
• Such a modulator comprises an active region comprising one or more quantum structures. When the active region is subjected to a potential difference, there is a change in the optical characteristics of this active region, in this case in the form of a variation in light absorption.
• this type of component makes it possible to provide intensity contrasts from 10 dB, which are a minimum for telecommunications applications. It is however interesting to improve this contrast, for example to facilitate the decoding of the signal but also to reduce the size of the components. Indeed, the total contrast obtained depends on the length on which the modulation takes place.
• this type of component allows a modulation spectral width (FWHM for "FuII width at HaIf Maximum”) of the order of 50 meV at a wavelength of 1.3 to 1.55 microns.
• FWHM modulation spectral width
• An electro-optical modulator can also operate by phase variation: in a configuration where the power-up produces a change of refraction of the active region, and thus of the light transmission speed. By injecting a regular signal into this active region, it is thus possible to modulate its phase by controlling the potential difference.
• a phase modulator may for example be incorporated into an interferometer for providing phase modulation, for example a ring interference or a Mac Zehnder interferometer.
• MIFO GaN - Medium Infra Red
• the proposed configurations comprise one or two quantum wells, which are separated by two thin barriers chosen so as to be penetrable by tunnel effect.
• Nevou et al. 2007 Appl Phys Lett 90, 223511, 2007
• Kheirodin et al. 2008 (IEEE Photon.Technol.Led., Vol .20, no.9, plO41- 1135 May 1, 2008) describe an improvement in performance using an active region of twenty periods, each comprising a Coupled Quantic Well (CQW), itself formed by flat layers stacked within a region. active plane, with the pair of QW-BL materials in GaN-AIN.
• CQW Coupled Quantic Well
• This coupled quantum well consists of a quantum well layer called a reservoir, with a thickness of 3 nm, followed by a barrier layer that is sufficiently thin to be penetrated by a tunnel effect, with a thickness of
• the decrease in the size of the active region causes a decrease in the interaction length, which can be detrimental to other performance, for example in terms of intensity contrast.
• An object of the invention is to provide a technology overcoming all or part of the disadvantages of the state of the art, and allowing all or part of these improvements.
• the invention proposes an electro-optical component with intersousband transition by quantum confinement between two materials of the type group III nitride.
• this component comprises at least one active region including at least two so-called outer barrier layers surrounding one or more "N" doped quantum structures.
• this or these quantum structures are each surrounded by two non-intentionally doped barrier zones of a sufficient thickness to prevent the passage of electrons by tunnel effect, in particular with a minimum thickness of more than four monoatomic layers. that is to say at least five monoatomic layers or even at least six or eight monoatomic thicknesses.
• At least two successive (and advantageously all) quantum structures are all "N" doped and are separated two by two by a non-intentionally doped barrier zone producing this minimum thickness.
• the thickness of the outer barriers depends on the design of the complete component and in particular the composition of the confinement layers. Their thickness of more than four monolayers can also be significantly greater, and determines the operating voltage range of the device.
• the barrier layers of separations between quantum structures may be of equal thickness to each other, at one or two monoatomic thicknesses.
• these successive quantum structures have an identical thickness with one or two monoatomic thicknesses.
• the component according to the invention comprises at least one active region including a plurality of successive quantum structures separated two by two by a non-intentionally doped barrier zone, of a sufficient thickness to avoid the passage of electrons by tunnel effect, in particular with a thickness of at least five monoatomic layers.
• quantum structures are desirable for example to increase the absorption in the absorbing state and the compactness of the device. All depends on the desired performance by the component designer, for example in the compromise between on the one hand simplicity and cost of manufacture and on the other hand performance and / or compactness of the component.
• the quantum structures mainly comprise Gallium Nitride and the barrier zones mainly comprise aluminum nitride or AIGaN.
• the thickness of the quantum structures is determined to tune this component to a wavelength of between 1.0 ⁇ m and 1.7 ⁇ m.
• a preferred embodiment of the invention proposes such a component arranged according to an architecture implementing an electrooptic modulator.
• a mod u lateu r can be arranged to function by absorption, for example to optimize the contrast obtained first.
• It can also be arranged to operate by modulation of the refractive index, for example to favor the phase variation.
• the active region architecture according to the invention can also be used in a component arranged according to an architecture realizing in particular:
• a photodetector for example with a quantum cascade, or
• the scope of the invention is potentially very wide.
• the invention also applies to components or devices such as tunable filters, reconfigurable optical routing as well as optical sensors for chemistry or biology, and others. applications taking advantage of the variation of absorption or index.
• the quantum structures may be substantially two-dimensional, in particular planar, quantum well layers.
• Each of these quantum wells is surrounded on each side by at least one two-dimensional, particularly flat, barrier layer.
• such a component is arranged to operate with a polarization of light perpendicular to the plane of the layers forming the quantum structures, or to a surface tangent to these layers.
• an electro-optical modulator according to the invention comprises an active region including three successive uncoupled quantum wells.
• the quantum wells are in "N" doped GaN and have a thickness of 4 to 6 monoatomic layers (about 1 to 1.5 nm). These quantum well layers are then separated from each other by unintentionally doped AI N barrier layers having a thickness of five or more monoatomic layers.
• the active region of such a component is surrounded by two confinement layers of a certain thickness, for example at least 0.4 micrometer, and is disposed in a portion in the form of an edge or mesa. forming a waveguide by variation or index jump.
• These confinement layers are for example AI 0 . 5 Ga 0 .5N doped "n". They ensure the optical confinement of the index jump guided mode and are also used to form the electrical contacts, thus also acting as a contact layer.
• One of these two confinement (or contact) layers carries at its surface one or more electrodes of a first polarity, for example a single electrode over most of its outer surface, on the opposite side to the active region. .
• the other confinement (or contact) layer carries on its surface one or more electrodes of a second polarity, for example two electrodes of the same polarity carried on the surface of two shoulders of the confinement layer extending from each side of the waveguide axis.
• the waveguide formed by the confinement layers and the active region may for example be arranged on at least one semiconductor buffer layer, for example a Group III element nitride such as AlN.
• This buffer layer is itself carried by a substrate, for example sapphire.
• the invention provides a device or system comprising at least one component as set forth herein.
• the component according to the invention and in particular the modulator has a large number of advantages, for example in terms of performance but also by a simplification of engineering and a wide field of use.
• the advantages provided by the invention include in particular an improvement in the intensity contrast obtained at ambient temperature at about 14 dB for a potential difference of 7V and at about 10 dB for 5V in a band. spectral range from 1.2 ⁇ m to 1.6 ⁇ m.
• the value of 14 dB allows a detection error rate of the order of 10 "15 whereas the value of 12 dB of the state of the art gave an error rate of 10%.
• order of 10 "9 an improvement of a factor of 10 to the power six.
• the index variation is exalted in the vicinity of the absorption line, which makes the operation more stable, in particular by reducing the frequency drift during the modulation.
• the simplified structure of uncoupled quantum wells allows a greater freedom of design of the architecture of the active region, and therefore easier to adapt to the specifications.
• the adjustment of the spectral position of the absorption line is done by the control of the need for structu res fo rma nt qua ntic po rts. Since each includes only one continuous region (unmated wells) and not two coupled regions as in the state of the art (coupled wells), the control of the thickness of this region is easier and less side effects on other operating characteristics of the whole.
• the ISB transitions can be tuned in the range 1.3 ⁇ m - 1.55 ⁇ m using thicknesses of
• GaN from 4 to 6 monoatomic layers, ie from 1 to 1.5 nm.
• Refractive index engineering this index can be adjusted by controlling the composition and thickness of the active region layers, especially for quantum structures.
• Controlling the confinement of the optigo mode being done by index contrast, which brings performance and simplicity of engineering for example for the design of the circuits.
• the invention allows a low thermal effect, of the order of 10 -5 K -1 for ⁇ n / ⁇ T. It also allows a reduction of the resistivity, allowing to use potential differences of the order of 12V or 10V or 5V or 3V. This allows for easier and more economical integration into many electronic systems, which are often supplied with DC voltage less than these values.
• the invention allows the component a good mechanical strength, temperature, optical flux and ionizing radiation.
• Intrinsic speed It is for example an ultra-fast operation obtained among other things by the speed of relaxation ISB via phonons LO: around 0.15 ps to 0.4 ps, allowing to consider for example components of the type all-optical switch operating in the Tbit / s regime.
• quantum well GaN layer structures are used in different components and operating in a different mechanism, to make all-optical switches or switches, as described in JP 2005 215395 and
• document JP 2005 215395 describes an optical conductor performing an all-optical switch function, and not an electro-optical one.
• This all-optical switch comprises a stack of quantum well semiconductor nitride layers, for the purpose of operating with a lower switching energy.
• the stack of layers has the shape of an edge or mesa, of decreasing width in steps, forming an optical waveguide.
• This edge receives an input light through an input end and emits by an end of so light a light co mmanded par t tra interstibande and operating by saturable absorption under the action of the energy input light.
• This type of component is typically used to produce an output light signal from an input light signal. It can be by for example, to regenerate the shape of the signals within an optical conductor, or to connect two optical circuits to each other by a connection of the "photonic cross-connect” (PXC) type also called “transparent cross-connect” (OXC).
• PXC photonic cross-connect
• OXC transparent cross-connect
• FIGURES la and b illustrate a state of the art using about twenty periods of GaN coupled quantum well layers separated by AlN barrier layers;
• FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the principle of an electro-optical modulator in one embodiment of the invention, receiving a light source by the wafer or at the Brewster angle;
• FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional block diagram illustrating the architecture of the modulator of FIGURE 2;
• FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional block diagram illustrating the architecture of the active region of the modulator of FIGURE 2;
• FIGURE 5a and b are operating diagrams illustrating the variation of energy according to the thickness of the active region of FIGURE 4,
• FIG. 5a with a negative potential difference
• FIG. 5b with a positive potential difference
• FIG. 6 is a curve showing the variation of the intensity contrast as a function of the potential difference applied to the modulator electrodes of FIG. 2, in the wafer illumination mode.
• FIGURES la and b illustrate a state of the art described by Nevou et al. 2007 (Appl Phys Lett 90, 223511, 2007) and Kheirodin et al. 2008 (IEEE Photol.Technol.Led., Vol.20, no.9, plO41-1135 May 1, 2008).
• This publication presents a modulator useful in active region about twenty periods of coupled quantum well layers of GaN separated by barrier layers of AlN.
• FIG. 1B is a sectional photo of a portion of the active region, which shows about five pairs of CQW coupled wells separated by 2.7 nm barrier layers of AIN (dark gray).
• Each of these coupled CQW wells comprises a QWR quantum well with a thickness of 3 nm and a QWN doped quantum well with a thickness of 1 nm, both in GaN (light gray).
• the two GaN regions are separated by a 1 nm thick BLI coupling barrier of AIN (dark gray).
• FIGURE 1a is a graph showing the absorption obtained (scale on the left) as a function of the wavelength (scale above) or the energy (scale below) of the light used.
• the i nsert at sei n of this FIG U RE la represents the operating mode of a CQW pair of these coupled wells, and the energy variations (scale on the left) as a function of its transversal structure at the different layers (scale below).
• the horizontal distribution of the sawtooth variations thus corresponds to the structure of the different layers of this CQW pair of coupled wells, successively from left to right: QWR, then BLI, then QWN.
• FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 3 are diagrams schematically showing the architecture of an electro-optical modulator in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• FIGU RE 2 is illustrated the operating principle of such a modulator 2.
• This modulator comprises an active region 23 forming a waveguide between two confinement regions 22 and 24.
• This active region is controlled by at least one electrode 26 of a first polarity and at least one electrode (here divided into two elements 251 and 252) of a second polarity controlled by an electrical control device 3 by voltage variation.
• the active region 23 receives a luminous flux 41 by the wafer. This flow is conducted within the active region and emerges on the other side in an output luminous flux 42.
• a luminous flux 411 penetrates through the upper confinement layer 24 according to the Brewster angle 410, and passes through it to the active region 23. This flow is then guided by this active region and comes out of it. an output luminous flux 42.
• the active region 24 has a light absorption which varies as a function of the electrical control 3 over a certain length of modulation LM .
• the luminous flux passing therethrough re o rt d o n c with a n i nte nsity 42 modulated according to the electric control 3.
• a luminous flux 42 mod ulé is output as a function of this same electrical control signal.
• This modulation can be applied to an input luminous flux 41 from a regular source such as a laser, or can be applied to a luminous flux 41 already comprising itself a signal.
• FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 represent more precisely this example of modulator 2 architecture.
• a buffer layer 21 of 1 micron AlN On a substrate 20, for example sapphire, is grown a buffer layer 21 of 1 micron AlN. A first confinement layer 22, or layer contacting is then grown, doped "n", for example 5.10 to 18 cm “3, for example a thickness of 0.5 .mu.m Alo .5 Gao .5 N.
• the active region 23 which is shown in greater detail in FIG. 4, is then produced.
• first confinement layer 22 On another part of the first confinement layer 22, for example on both sides around the active region 22, is deposited one or more conductive layers 251 and 252 or metal forming an electrode of a polarity.
• a second confinement layer 24 or layer contact doped "n", for example 5.10 to 18 cm "3, for example a thickness of 0.5 .mu.m Alo .5 Gao .5 N.
• At least one conductive or even metallic layer 26 forming an electrode of the other polarity is deposited.
• FIG. 4 represents in greater detail the vertical sectional structure of the active region 23. In order to produce this active region, one successively increases:
• a first AlN outer BLO barrier layer of at least about 3 nm
• quantum layers here three QWl, QW 2 and QW 3 quantum well layers in GaN of equal thickness, each of a thickness of 4 to 6 monoatomic layers, ie approximately 1 to
• barrier layers are grown after each and before the next one, here two barrier layers BL1 and BL2, in AIN of a thickness of typically 3 nm;
• FIGS. 5a and b illustrate the operation of a modulator according to the invention, in the embodiment described above with three uncoupled quantum wells.
• the three downward sawtooth slots are positioned at the QW1 to QW3 GaN quantum well layers on a x-axis representing the size of the active region 23 transverse to QW quantum layers and BL barriers.
• FIG. 6 is illustrative of the variation of the intensity contrast obtained, as a function of the potential difference applied to the modulator electrodes described above, in the wafer illumination mode.
• the contrast obtained for a potential difference of + 7V is 14 dB, which constitutes an interesting performance compared to the state of the art.
• the contrast of 10.2 dB is a worse performance in absolute terms, but is here obtained with a less significant potential difference at -5V, which allows the realization of a component requiring a lower voltage, for example with a lower voltage power supply.
• This potential difference of 5V is compatible with a supply voltage of 5V which is an extremely common standard in the field of small electrical appliances as well as components and integrated circuits in general.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
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• Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optical Modulation, Optical Deflection, Nonlinear Optics, Optical Demodulation, Optical Logic Elements (AREA)
• Semiconductor Lasers (AREA)

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• 2009
  • 2009-07-30 FR FR0955365A patent/FR2948816B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2010
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  • 2010-07-30 CA CA2769478A patent/CA2769478A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2010-07-30 JP JP2012522238A patent/JP2013500505A/ja active Pending
  • 2010-07-30 EP EP10800972A patent/EP2460048A2/fr not_active Withdrawn
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