Semiconductor optical device and display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9966500-B2
Application number	US-201515304605-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2015
Priority date	Apr 25, 2014
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A semiconductor optical device includes: a ridge stripe structure portion 20 in which a first compound semiconductor layer 31 , an active layer 32 , and a second compound semiconductor layer 32 are stacked and which has a first end surface 21 which emits light and a second end surface 22 opposite to the first end surface 21 ; and a current regulation region 41 provided to be adjacent to at least one of ridge stripe adjacent portions 40 positioned at both sides of the ridge stripe structure portion 20 , at the second end surface side, and to be away from the ridge stripe structure portion 20 . A bottom surface of the current regulation region 41 is under the active layer 33 , and a top surface of the ridge stripe adjacent portion 40 excluding the current regulation region 41 is above the active layer 33.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor optical device, comprising:
a ridge stripe structure portion comprising:
a first compound semiconductor layer;
an active layer of a compound semiconductor on the first compound semiconductor layer;
a second compound semiconductor layer on the active layer;
a first end surface configured to emit light; and
a second end surface opposite to the first end surface;

ridge stripe adjacent portions at both sides of the ridge stripe structure portion; and
a current regulation region at at least one of the ridge stripe adjacent portions,
wherein the current regulation region is closer to the second end surface than the first end surface,
wherein
a first distance from a bottom surface of the first compound semiconductor layer to a bottom surface of the current regulation region is H 1 ,
a second distance from the bottom surface of the first compound semiconductor layer to a top surface of the at least one of the ridge stripe adjacent portions excluding the current regulation region is H 2 ,
a first thickness of the first compound semiconductor layer is T 1 ,
a second thickness of the active layer is T 3 , and
a third thickness of the second compound semiconductor layer is T 2 , and
wherein following expressions are satisfied:
H 1 ≤T 1 , and
T 1 +T 3 ≤H 2 ≤T 1 +T 3 +T 2 .

2. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first length of the ridge stripe structure portion is L 0 and a second length of the current regulation region is L 1 , and
wherein following expression is satisfied:
0.1≤ L 1 /L 0 ≤1.0.

3. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a third distance from an end of the current regulation region towards the first end surface to the second end surface is DS 1 and a length of the ridge stripe structure portion is L 0 , and
wherein following expression is satisfied:
DS 1 /L 0 <1.0.

4. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the current regulation region is configured to prevent a leakage current from flowing from the ridge stripe structure portion.

5. A semiconductor optical device, comprising:
a ridge stripe structure portion comprising:
a first compound semiconductor layer;
an active layer of a compound semiconductor on the first compound semiconductor layer;
a second compound semiconductor layer on the active layer;
a first end surface configured to emit light; and
a second end surface opposite to the first end surface;

ridge stripe adjacent portions at both sides of the ridge stripe structure portion; and
a current regulation region at at least one of the ridge stripe adjacent portions,
wherein the current regulation region is closer to the second end surface than the first end surface, and
wherein the current regulation region is configured to prevent a leakage current from flowing from the ridge stripe structure portion.

6. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 5 ,
wherein a first length of the ridge stripe structure portion is L 0 and a second length of the current regulation region is L 1 , and
wherein following expression is satisfied:
0.1≤ L 1 /L 0 <1.0.

7. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 5 ,
wherein a distance from an end of the current regulation region towards the first end surface to the second end surface is DS 1 and a length of the ridge stripe structure portion is L 0 , and
wherein following expression is satisfied:
DS 1 /L 0 <1.0.

8. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the current regulation region comprises a concave portion in the first compound semiconductor layer.

9. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 8 , wherein an insulating material is embedded in the concave portion.

10. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the current regulation region comprises an ion implanted layer of the compound semiconductor.

11. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the current regulation region comprises an insulating layer.

12. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the current regulation region comprises a structure of compound semiconductor layers, wherein the structure of compound semiconductor layers prevent a current from flowing from the second compound semiconductor layer to the first compound semiconductor layer via the current regulation region.

13. The semiconductor optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor optical device is one of a super luminescent diode, a semiconductor laser element, or a semiconductor optical amplifier.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Yoshiaki
• Kawasumi Takayuki

Classifications

• H01S5/22

  having a ridge or stripe structure · CPC title

• H01S5/101

  Curved waveguide (H01S5/1243 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S5/34333

  with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser · CPC title

• H01S2301/166

  Single transverse or lateral mode · CPC title

• H01S5/2054

  Methods of obtaining the confinement · CPC title