Semiconductor strip laser and semiconductor component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9787055-B2
Application number	US-201515119546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 11, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A semiconductor strip laser and a semiconductor component are disclosed. In embodiments the laser includes a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type of a semiconductor body, a second semiconductor region of a second different conductivity type of the semiconductor body, at least one active zone of the semiconductor body configured to generate laser radiation between the first and second semiconductor regions. The laser further includes a strip waveguide formed at least in the second semiconductor region and providing a one-dimensional wave guidance along a waveguide direction of the laser radiation generated in the active zone during operation, a first electric contact on the first semiconductor region, a second electric contact on the second semiconductor region and at least one heat spreader dimensionally stably connected to the semiconductor body at least up to a temperature of 220° C., and having an average thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/m·K.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor strip laser comprising:
a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type of a semiconductor body;
a second semiconductor region of a second different conductivity type of the semiconductor body;
at least one active zone of the semiconductor body configured to generate a laser radiation between the first and second semiconductor regions;
a strip waveguide formed at least in the second semiconductor region and providing a one-dimensional wave guidance along a waveguide direction of the laser radiation generated in the active zone during operation;
a first electric contact on the first semiconductor region;
a second electric contact on the second semiconductor region; and
at least one heat spreader dimensionally stably connected to the semiconductor body at least up to a temperature of 220° C., and having an average thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/m·K,
wherein at least one of the at least one heat spreader is located on the first semiconductor region and arranged at a distance to the strip waveguide,
wherein the at least one heat spreader comprises at least one opening on the first semiconductor region, the first semiconductor region being electrically contacted through the at least one opening, and
wherein the at least one heat spreader comprises at least one of the following materials: SiC, Si, AlN, BN, BC, BeN, BeO, or diamond-like carbon.

2. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat spreader is connected to the semiconductor body in a solder-free manner so that no solder is located between the at least one heat spreader and the semiconductor body, and wherein the strip waveguide is formed in the semiconductor body exclusively in the second semiconductor region.

3. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one passivation layer and a further heat spreader, wherein the passivation layer is in direct contact with the second semiconductor region and the further heat spreader, wherein the passivation layer is located between the second semiconductor region and the further heat spreader, wherein the passivation layer has a thickness of at most 200 nm, and wherein the passivation layer comprises at least one of the following materials: Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , or Si 3 N 4 .

4. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 3 , wherein side surfaces of the strip waveguide are free from the passivation layer and the further heat spreader contacts the side surfaces at least in places.

5. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat spreader comprises one or more sublayers of a semiconductor material and is in direct contact with the second semiconductor region, which is p-doped, and wherein the semiconductor material of at least one of the one or more sublayers in undoped or n-doped.

6. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat spreader comprises at least two subregions of different materials, and wherein the subregions directly follow one behind the other in a direction away from the active zone and/or in a lateral direction away from the strip waveguide and/or along the waveguide direction.

7. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the subregions has an average distance of at most 50 μm to a facet of the semiconductor body and directly adjoins the facet, and wherein the facet is a light exit surface of the semiconductor body and is oriented perpendicularly to the waveguide direction.

8. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 , wherein a metal layer is located between at least one of the at least one heat spreader and the semiconductor body, wherein the metal layer contacts the at least one heat spreader, and wherein the metal layer is not a solder.

9. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or the second electric contact is electrically resistively conductive and comprises at least two sublayers that directly follow one after the other in a direction away from the strip waveguide, wherein the sublayer located closer to the strip waveguide comprises at least one of the following materials: ZnO, ITO, AlN, GaN, InN, AlGaN, InGaN, or AlInGaN, and wherein the sublayer located farther away from the strip waveguide comprises at least one of the following materials: Al, Au, Cr, Ni, Pd, Pt, or Ti.

10. A semiconductor component comprising:
a heatsink; and
at least one semiconductor strip laser according to claim 1 ,
wherein the semiconductor strip laser is soldered to the heatsink with a solder layer,
wherein the at least one heat spreader is located between the semiconductor body of the semiconductor strip laser and the solder layer, and
wherein the at least one heat spreader and the solder layer contact one another.

11. A semiconductor strip laser comprising:
a first semiconductor region of a first conductivity type of a semiconductor body;
a second semiconductor region of a second different conductivity type of the semiconductor body;
at least one active zone of the semiconductor body configured to generate laser radiation between the first and second semiconductor regions;
a strip waveguide formed at least in the second semiconductor region and providing a one-dimensional wave guidance along a waveguide direction of the laser radiation generated in the active zone during operation;
a first electric contact on the first semiconductor region;
a second electric contact on the second semiconductor region; and
at least one heat spreader dimensionally stably connected to the semiconductor body at least up to a temperature of 220° C., and having an average thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/m·K,
wherein the at least one heat spreader is connected to the semiconductor body in a solder-free manner so that no solder is located between the at least one heat spreader and the semiconductor body, wherein the at least one heat spreader comprises at least one of the following materials: SiC, Si, AlN, BN, BC, BeN, BeO, or diamond-like carbon, wherein the at least one heat spreader is in direct contact with the second semiconductor region, which is p-doped, wherein the at least one heat spreader is attached on both sides of the strip waveguide and contacts the strip waveguide, wherein the at least one heat spreader has a width, in a direction away from the strip waveguide, of at least 50 μm and extends entirely in the waveguide direction along the strip waveguide, and wherein the strip waveguide is formed in the semiconductor body exclusively in the second semiconductor region.

12. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one heat spreader is connected to the semiconductor body in a solder-free manner so that no solder is located between the at least one heat spreader and the semiconductor body, wherein the at least one heat spreader comprises at least one of the following materials: SiC, Si, AlN, BN, BC, BeN, BeO, or diamond-like carbon, wherein the at least one heat spreader is in direct contact with the second semiconductor region, which is p-doped, wherein the at least one heat spreader is attached on both sides of the strip waveguide and contacts the strip waveguide, wherein the at least one heat spreader has a width, in a direction away from the strip waveguide, of at least 50 μm and extends entirely in the waveguide direction along the strip waveguide, and wherein the strip waveguide is formed in the semiconductor body exclusively in the second semiconductor region.

13. The semiconductor strip laser according to claim 11 , wherein, v

Assignees

• Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh

Inventors

• Müller Jens
• Lell Alfred
• Strauβ Uwe

Classifications

• H01S5/04253

  having specific optical properties, e.g. transparent electrodes · CPC title

• 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

• H01S5/2226

  semiconductors with a specific doping · CPC title

• H01S5/2214

  based on oxides or nitrides · CPC title

• H01S5/168

  with window regions comprising current blocking layers · CPC title