Light emitting element array and optical transmission device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10348059-B2
Application number	US-201715631378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Aug 10, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A light emitting element array includes plural semiconductor stacking structures and a light screening portion. The plural semiconductor stacking structures each include a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that receives light propagated in a lateral direction via a semiconductor layer from the light emitting portion. The light screening portion is provided between the plural semiconductor stacking structures to screen light directed from the light emitting portion of one of the semiconductor stacking structures to the light receiving portion of another semiconductor stacking structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light emitting element array comprising:
a plurality of semiconductor stacking structures each including a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion configured to receive light propagated in a lateral direction via a semiconductor layer from the light emitting portion; and
a light screening wall provided between the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures configured to screen light directed from the light emitting portion of one of the semiconductor stacking structures to the light receiving portion of another semiconductor stacking structure,
wherein the light emitting portion comprises a lower reflector, an active region, and an upper reflector that are commonly formed with a lower reflector, an active region, and an upper reflector of the light receiving portion, respectively,
wherein the active region of the light emitting portion and the active region of the light receiving portion are continuously formed without a layer interposed therebetween, and
wherein the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are formed as a single mesa structure;
wherein each of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures includes a semi-insulating substrate, and
wherein the light emitting portion, the light receiving portion, an anode electrode pad connected to the light emitting portion, a cathode electrode pad connected to the light emitting portion, an anode electrode pad connected to the light receiving portion, and a cathode electrode pad connected to the light emitting portion are formed on a front surface side of the semi-insulating substrate.

2. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light screening wall is constituted of a semiconductor layer that is common with a semiconductor layer that constitutes the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures.

3. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the active region of the light emitting portion is configured to implement a light emitting function of the light emitting portion, and
a height of the light screening wall in a stacking direction of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures is equal to or more than a height of the active region of the light emitting portion in the stacking direction of the plural semiconductor stacking structures.

4. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein a height of the light screening wall in a stacking direction of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures is equal to or more than half a height of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures.

5. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein a light screening layer is formed on a surface of the light screening wall.

6. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light receiving portion includes a current-voltage conversion unit configured to convert a current generated when the light receiving portion receives the light propagated in the lateral direction into a voltage.

7. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein a length of the light screening wall as viewed in plan is larger than a length of the light emitting portion as viewed in plan or a length of the light receiving portion as viewed in plan.

8. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein a length of the light screening wall as viewed in plan is larger than a total of a length of the light emitting portion as viewed in plan and a length of the light receiving portion as viewed in plan.

9. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light screening wall is provided so as to surround each of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures.

10. An optical transmission device comprising:
the light emitting element array according to claim 1 ;
a modulation unit configured to modulate light from the plurality of light emitting portions; and
a plurality of optical fibers configured to transmit emitted light modulated by the modulation unit and emitted from each of the plurality of light emitting portions.

11. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein a current interrupting region is formed between the upper reflector of the light emitting portion and the upper reflector of the light receiving portion.

12. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein a height of the light screening wall in a stacking direction of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures is less than a height of the plurality of semiconductor stacking structures.

13. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the lower reflector of the light emitting portion comprises a same semiconductor layer as the lower reflector of the light receiving portion,
wherein the active region of the light emitting portion comprises a same semiconductor layer as the active region of the light receiving portion, and
wherein the upper reflector of the light emitting portion comprises a same semiconductor layer as the upper reflector of the light receiving portion.

14. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light screening wall is formed in an area other than an area in which the anode electrode pads and the cathode electrode pads are formed.

15. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the anode electrode pad connected to the light emitting portion, the cathode electrode pad connected to the light emitting portion, the anode electrode pad connected to the light receiving portion, and the cathode electrode pad connected to the light emitting portion are directly formed on the semi-insulating substrate.

16. The light emitting element array according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion each have a rectangular shape, and
wherein a width of a coupling portion connecting the light emitting portion with the light receiving portion is smaller than widths of remaining portions of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

Assignees

• Fuji Xerox Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayakawa Junichiro
• Murakami Akemi
• Kondo Takashi
• Jogan Naoki
• Sakurai Jun

Classifications

• H01S5/04257

  having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate · CPC title

• H01S5/04256

  characterised by the configuration · CPC title

• G02B6/4249

  comprising arrays of active devices and fibres · CPC title

• H01S5/18327

  Structure being part of a DBR (H01S5/18391 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S5/0262

  Photo-diodes, e.g. transceiver devices, bidirectional devices (H01S5/0265 takes precedence) · CPC title