Dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter with improved performance over temperature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12413048-B2
Application number	US-202217808030-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2022
Priority date	Feb 16, 2022
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

In some implementations, a method may include forming a quantum well (QW) layer using an epitaxial growth process, where the epitaxial growth process is performed according to a first growth mode to form the QW layer. The method may include forming a quantum well barrier (QWB) layer using the epitaxial growth process, where the epitaxial growth process is performed according to a second growth mode to form the QWB layer. In some implementations, a nitrogen flux used in the first growth mode is different from a nitrogen flux used in the second growth mode. In some implementations, a gallium flux used in the first growth mode is different from a gallium flux used in the second growth mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
forming a quantum well (QW) layer using an epitaxial growth process, the epitaxial growth process being performed according to a first growth mode to form the QW layer, the QW layer comprising a first dilute nitride material; and
forming a quantum well barrier (QWB) layer using the epitaxial growth process, the epitaxial growth process being performed according to a second growth mode to form the QWB layer, the QWB layer comprising a second dilute nitride material, wherein at least one of:
a nitrogen flux used in the first growth mode is different from a nitrogen flux used in the second growth mode, or
a gallium flux used in the first growth mode is different from a gallium flux used in the second growth mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a graded-index outer barrier layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a p-doped region in the QWB layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nitrogen flux used in the first growth mode is different from the nitrogen flux used in the second growth mode, the method further comprising adjusting a plasma source setting associated with the epitaxial growth process, wherein a difference between the nitrogen flux used in the first growth mode and the nitrogen flux used in the second growth mode is a result of the adjusting of the plasma source setting.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plasma source setting is a power setting.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plasma source setting is a nitrogen gas flow setting.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gallium flux used in the first growth mode is different from the gallium flux used in the second growth mode, the method further comprising switching a gallium source associated with the epitaxial growth process, wherein a difference between the gallium flux used in the first growth mode and the gallium flux used in the second growth mode is a result of the switching of the gallium source.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gallium flux used in the first growth mode is different from the gallium flux used in the second growth mode, the method further comprising adjusting a quantity of gallium sources used for performing the epitaxial growth process, wherein a difference between the gallium flux used in the first growth mode and the gallium flux used in the second growth mode is a result of the adjusting of the quantity of gallium sources.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming an interlayer between the QW layer and the QWB layer, where a band gap between the interlayer and the QW layer is smaller than a band gap between the QWB layer and the QW layer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the interlayer has a thickness in a range from approximately 0.1 nanometers (nm) to 10.0 nm.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the interlayer is formed by performing the epitaxial growth process according to the first growth mode.

12. A dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter, comprising:
a cladding layer;
an active region including:
one or more quantum well (QW) layers, wherein the one or more QW layers comprise a first dilute nitride material; and
one or more QW barrier (QWB) layers, wherein the one or more QWB layers comprise a second dilute nitride material; and

a barrier layer between the active region and the cladding layer, wherein the barrier layer comprises a graded-index structure.

13. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 12 , wherein the graded-index structure is a graded-index separate confinement heterostructure (GRINSCH).

14. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 12 , wherein the graded-index structure has a linear grading.

15. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 12 , wherein the graded-index structure has a step grading.

16. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 12 , further comprising a p-doped region in at least one QWB layer of the one or more QWB layers.

17. A dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter, comprising:
an active region including:
one or more quantum well (QW) layers, wherein the one or more QW layers comprise a first dilute nitride material; and
one or more QW barrier (QWB) layers, wherein the one or more QWB layers comprise a second dilute nitride material, and wherein at least one QWB layer of the one or more QWB layers includes a p-doped region.

18. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 17 , wherein a doping level of the p-doped region is in a range from approximately 1×10 16 cm −3 to approximately 1×1019 cm −3 .

19. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 17 , wherein the p-doped region has a thickness in a range from approximately 0.2 nanometers (nm) to approximately 20.0 nm.

20. The dilute nitride long-wavelength emitter of claim 17 , further comprising a barrier layer comprising a graded-index structure.

Assignees

• Lumentum Operations Llc

Inventors

• Peters Matthew Glenn
• Yang Jun
• Barve Ajit Vijay
• Zhao Guowei

Classifications

• H01S5/32366 Primary

  (In)GaAs with small amount of N · CPC title

• H01S2304/04

  MOCVD or MOVPE · CPC title

• H01S2304/02

  MBE · CPC title

• H01S5/04252

  characterised by the material · 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