Semiconductor light emitting element and semiconductor light emitting element assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10686291-B2
Application number	US-201515556970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A semiconductor light emitting element has a laminated structure formed by laminating a first compound semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer. The semiconductor light emitting element satisfies ΔI 2 >ΔI 1 , where ΔI 1 is an operating current range when the temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and ΔI 2 is the operating current range when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 (where T 2 >T 1 ). The semiconductor light emitting element satisfies P 2 >P 1 , where P 1 is a maximum optical output emitted when the temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and P 2 is the maximum optical output emitted when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 (where T 2 >T 1 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor light emitting element assembly comprising:
a semiconductor light emitting element having a laminated structure formed by laminating a first compound semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer;
the semiconductor light emitting element assembly satisfying ΔI 2 >ΔI 1 ,
wherein ΔI 1 is a first operating current range when temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and ΔI 2 is a second operating current range when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 , and T 2 >T 1 , and
wherein an operating current when an optical pulse repetition frequency changes from a fundamental frequency determined by a distance of an optical system to a frequency twice the fundamental frequency is an upper limit value of an operating current range of the semiconductor light emitting element.

2. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the semiconductor light emitting element assembly satisfies I max-2 >I max-1 ,
wherein I max-1 is an upper limit value of the operating current range when the temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and I max-2 is the upper limit value of the operating current range when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 .

3. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a heat sink; and
a sub-mount, wherein
the heat sink, the sub-mount, and the semiconductor light emitting element are sequentially laminated.

4. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 3 , wherein
the sub-mount is formed of AlN, Si, SiC, Cu, W, Mo, Al, or diamond, or composite materials including these materials.

5. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the temperature of the active layer is controlled by the heat sink.

6. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the temperature of the active layer is controlled by heating the heat sink.

7. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the laminated structure has a structure in which a light emitting region and a saturable absorption region are juxtaposed to each other in a resonator direction.

8. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 7 , wherein
the saturable absorption region is disposed in an end region of the laminated structure in the resonator direction.

9. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 7 , wherein
a current fed to the light emitting region is 1×10 2 amperes/cm 2 to 1×10 5 amperes/cm 2 per unit area of the light emitting region.

10. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the laminated structure has a structure in which a plurality of functional regions are integrated.

11. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 10 , wherein
at least one of the plurality of functional regions is formed by a saturable absorption region.

12. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the second compound semiconductor layer includes an InGaN light guide layer and a p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and wherein the InGaN light guide layer is directly coupled to the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and the active layer is directly coupled to the InGaN light guide layer opposite the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer.

13. A semiconductor light emitting element assembly comprising:
a semiconductor light emitting element having a laminated structure formed by laminating a first compound semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer;
the semiconductor light emitting element assembly satisfying P 2 >P 1 ,
wherein P 1 is a maximum optical output emitted when temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and P 2 is the maximum optical output emitted when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 , and T 2 >T 1 , and
wherein an operating current when an optical pulse repetition frequency changes from a fundamental frequency determined by a distance of an optical system to a frequency twice the fundamental frequency is an upper limit value of an operating current range of the semiconductor light emitting element.

14. The semiconductor light emitting element assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the second compound semiconductor layer includes an InGaN light guide layer and a p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and wherein the InGaN light guide layer is directly coupled to the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and the active layer is directly coupled to the InGaN light guide layer opposite the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer.

15. A semiconductor light emitting element comprising:
a laminated structure formed by laminating a first compound semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer;
the semiconductor light emitting element satisfying ΔI 2 >ΔI 1 ,
wherein ΔI 1 is a first operating current range when temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and ΔI 2 is a second operating current range when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 , and T 2 >T 1 , and
wherein an operating current when an optical pulse repetition frequency changes from a fundamental frequency determined by a distance of an optical system to a frequency twice the fundamental frequency is an upper limit value of an operating current range of the semiconductor light emitting element.

16. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 15 , wherein the second compound semiconductor layer includes an InGaN light guide layer and a p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and wherein the InGaN light guide layer is directly coupled to the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and the active layer is directly coupled to the InGaN light guide layer opposite the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer.

17. A semiconductor light emitting element comprising:
a laminated structure formed by laminating a first compound semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer;
the semiconductor light emitting element satisfying P 2 >P 1 ,
wherein P 1 is a maximum optical output emitted when temperature of the active layer is T 1 , and P 2 is the maximum optical output emitted when the temperature of the active layer is T 2 , and T 2 >T 1 , and
wherein an operating current when an optical pulse repetition frequency changes from a fundamental frequency determined by a distance of an optical system to a frequency twice the fundamental frequency is an upper limit value of an operating current range of the semiconductor light emitting element.

18. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 17 , wherein the second compound semiconductor layer includes an InGaN light guide layer and a p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and wherein the InGaN light guide layer is directly coupled to the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer, and the active layer is directly coupled to the InGaN light guide layer opposite the p-type AlGaN electronic barrier layer.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Hideki
• Yanashima Katsunori
• Koda Rintaro
• TAKEO Moe
• Okano Nobukata

Classifications

• H01S5/0657 Primary

  Mode locking, i.e. generation of pulses at a frequency corresponding to a roundtrip in the cavity · CPC title

• H01S5/309

  doping of barrier layers that confine charge carriers in the laser structure, e.g. the barriers in a quantum well structure (barriers in quantum wells per se H01S5/3407) · CPC title

• H01S5/023 Primary

  Mount members, e.g. sub-mount members · CPC title

• H01S5/0233

  Mounting configuration of laser chips · CPC title

• H01S5/0235

  Method for mounting laser chips · CPC title