Semiconductor laser diode, method for producing a semiconductor laser diode and semiconductor laser diode arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016315446-A1
Application number	US-201415105554-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 8, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A semiconductor laser diode is specified, comprising a semiconductor layer sequence ( 1 ) with semiconductor layers applied vertically one above another with an active layer ( 11 ), which emits laser radiation via a radiation coupling-out surface during operation, wherein the radiation coupling-out surface is formed by a side surface of the semiconductor layer sequence ( 1 ), and a heat barrier layer ( 2 ) and a metallic contact layer ( 5 ) laterally adjacent to one another on a main surface ( 12 ) of the semiconductor layer sequence ( 1 ), wherein the heat barrier layer ( 2 ) is formed by an electrically insulating porous material ( 9 ). As a result, the heat arising during operation is conducted via the p-type electrode ( 5 ) to a heat sink ( 20 ) and the formation of a two-dimensional temperature gradient is avoided. A thermal lens in the edge emitter is thus counteracted. Furthermore, a method for producing a semiconductor laser diode and a semiconductor laser diode arrangement are specified.

First claim

1 . A semiconductor laser diode, comprising
a semiconductor layer sequence with semiconductor layers applied vertically over one another with an active layer, which emits laser radiation via a radiation output surface during operation, wherein the radiation output surface is formed by a side face of the semiconductor layer sequence, and a thermal barrier layer and a metallic contact layer laterally adjacent to one another on a main surface of the semiconductor layer sequence, wherein the thermal barrier layer is formed by an electrically insulating porous material.

2 . The semiconductor laser diode according to claim 1 , wherein the contact layer has a strip-shaped embodiment on the main surface of the semiconductor layer sequence and adjoins the thermal barrier layer at at least two side faces.

3 . The semiconductor laser diode according to claim 1 , wherein a dielectric capping layer is arranged on a side of the thermal barrier layer facing away from the semiconductor layer sequence.

4 . The semiconductor laser diode according to claim 3 , wherein the capping layer is free from pores.

5 . The semiconductor laser diode according to claim 3 , wherein a metallization layer is applied to the capping layer and the contact layer.

6 . The semiconductor laser diode according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically insulating porous material comprises one or more of the following, selected from SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , Ta 2 O 5 , HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , AlN.

7 . A method for producing a semiconductor laser diode, comprising the following steps:
A) provision of a semiconductor layer sequence with semiconductor layers applied vertically over one another with an active layer, which emits laser radiation via a radiation output surface during operation, wherein the radiation output surface is formed by a side face of the semiconductor layer sequence; B) large-area application of a thermal barrier layer on a main surface of the semiconductor layer sequence wherein the thermal barrier layer is formed by an electrically insulating porous material; C) exposure of a region of the main surface of the semiconductor layer sequence by removal of the thermal barrier layer in certain regions; D) application of a metallic contact layer on the exposed region of the main surface such that the contact layer and the thermal barrier layer are arranged laterally adjacent to one another on the main surface.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , in which in method step B a precursor material is deposited in a sol-gel method and the precursor material is converted by supercritical drying into an aerogel forming the electrically insulating porous material.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the deposition of the precursor material is effected by spin coating.

10 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein method step B has the following sub-steps:
B1) application of a layer with a plurality of particles; B2) filling of interstices between the particles with an electrically insulating material; B3) removal of the particles to form pores in the electrically insulating material.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , in which method steps B1 to B3 are carried out several times in succession.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , in which the interstices are filled by means of atomic layer deposition in method step B2.

13 . The method according to claim 10 , in which the particles are formed by polystyrene spheres.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , in which the particles are removed by means of an oxygen plasma in method step B3.

15 . The method according to claim 7 , in which, prior to method step C, a capping layer made of an electrically insulating material is applied to the thermal barrier layer over a large area and the capping layer is removed together with the thermal barrier layer in certain regions in step C.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , in which the capping layer is applied by means of plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition.

17 . The method according to claim 7 , in which a metallization layer is applied to the contact layer and the capping layer after method step D.

18 . The method according to claim 7 , in which an etching stop layer is applied to the main surface of the semiconductor layer sequence prior to method step B.

19 . The method according to claim 7 , in which a dry chemical etching process is performed in method step C.

20 . A semiconductor laser diode arrangement comprising a semiconductor laser diode according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor laser diode is mounted on a heatsink in such a way that the thermal barrier layer is arranged between the semiconductor layer sequence and the heatsink.

Assignees

• Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh

Inventors

• Taeger Sebastian
• Bachmann Alexander

Classifications

• H01S5/02469

  Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC · CPC title

• H01S5/22

  having a ridge or stripe structure · CPC title

• H01S5/02461 Primary

  Structure or details of the laser chip to manipulate the heat flow, e.g. passive layers in the chip with a low heat conductivity · CPC title

• H01S5/0224

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01S5/209

  special etch stop layers · CPC title