With Vertical Output (surface Emission) Patents (Class 372/50.124)
  • Patent number: 9401400
    Abstract: A transistor device is provided that includes a gate electrode disposed between source and drain electrodes and overlying a quantum dot structure realized by a modulation doped quantum well structure. A potential barrier surrounds the quantum dot structure. The transistor device can be configured for operation as a single electron transistor by means for biasing the gate and source electrodes to allow for tunneling of a single electron from the source electrode through the potential barrier surrounding the quantum dot structure and into the quantum dot structure, and means for biasing the gate and drain electrodes to allow for selective tunneling of a single electron from the quantum dot structure through the potential barrier surrounding the quantum dot structure to the drain electrode, wherein the selective tunneling of the single electron is based upon spin state of the single electron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignees: THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, Opel Solar, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoff W. Taylor
  • Patent number: 9391427
    Abstract: Heat management systems for vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) chips are provided. Embodiments of the invention provide substrates having a vertical cavity surface emitting laser chip disposed on the substrate surface and electrically interconnected with the substrate, a thermal frame disposed on the substrate surface and proximate to at least three sides of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser chip, and a thermal interface material disposed between the at least three sides of the vertical cavity surface emitting laser chip and the thermal frame. The substrate can also include a transceiver chip that is operably coupled to a further integrated circuit chip and that is capable of driving the VCSEL chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Feras Eid, Shawna M. Liff, Henning Braunisch
  • Patent number: 9281660
    Abstract: The present invention provides a surface emitting laser that provides a sufficient optical output and is suitable as a light source intended for electrophotographic apparatuses, and a surface-emitting-laser array and an image forming apparatus each including the surface emitting laser. The surface emitting laser includes a first stepped structure on a front surface of a front mirror. In the first stepped structure, a difference L between an optical path length in a first area and an optical path length in a second area satisfies the following expression: (¼+N)?<|L|<(¾+N)? where N is an integer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ikuta
  • Patent number: 9270081
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser device that enables flip-chip assembly by having an embedding section around a mesa section, and that has an improved emission lifetime, as well as a photoelectric converter and an optical information processing unit each having such a semiconductor laser device. The semiconductor laser device includes: a mesa section including an active layer, and having a first electrode on a top surface; an embedding section covering the mesa section, and having a first connection aperture that reaches the first electrode; and a first wiring provided on the embedding section overlaying the first connection aperture, the first wiring being electrically connected to the first electrode through the first connection aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiizu Ootorii
  • Patent number: 9192009
    Abstract: Lighting apparatus and method for detecting reflected light from local objects are disclosed. A controller within a lighting apparatus is used to activate and deactivate one or more LEDs within a duty cycle. The controller uses a light detection apparatus that is optically isolated from the LEDs to sample light levels during a time in which the LEDs are deactivated and during a time in which the LEDs are activated. The light level when the LEDs are deactivated is an indication of the ambient light levels within the surrounding area of the lighting apparatus. The light level when the LEDs are activated is an indication of the ambient light levels combined with any light generated by the LEDs that is reflected onto the light detection apparatus. By comparing these light levels, the controller can determine the level of light attributable to reflected light from the LEDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: ARKALUMEN INC.
    Inventor: Gerald Edward Briggs
  • Patent number: 9176417
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser device includes a transparent dielectric layer provided in an emitting region and configured to cause a reflectance at a peripheral part to be different from a reflectance at a central part in the emitting region. In the surface-emitting laser device, the thickness of a contact layer is different between a region having a relatively high reflectance and a region having a relatively low reflectance in the emitting region. The contact layer is provided on the high refractive index layer of an upper multilayer film reflecting mirror, and the total optical thickness of the high refractive index layer and the contact layer in the region having the relatively low reflectance is deviated from an odd number multiple of a one quarter oscillation wavelength of laser light emitted from the emitting region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Harasaka, Shunichi Sato, Masahiro Hayashi, Akihiro Itoh, Katsunari Hanaoka
  • Patent number: 9130348
    Abstract: A two-dimensional photonic crystal laser according to the present invention includes a two-dimensional photonic crystal layer 15 having a base body made of Al?Ga1-?As (0<?<1) or (Al?Ga1-?)?In1-?P (0<=?<1, 0<?<1) with modified refractive index areas (air holes) 151 periodically arranged therein and an epitaxial growth layer 16 created on the two-dimensional photonic crystal layer 15 by an epitaxial method. Since Al?Ga1-?As and (Al?Ga1-?)?In1-?P are solid even at high temperatures, the air holes 151 will not be deformed in the process of creating the epitaxial growth layer 16, so that the performance of the two-dimensional photonic crystal layer 15 as a resonator can be maintained at high levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignees: KYOTO UNIVERSITY, ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Susumu Noda, Takui Sakaguchi, Kazuya Nagase, Wataru Kunishi, Eiji Miyai, Yoshikatsu Miura, Dai Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 9124070
    Abstract: A superluminescent diode which amplifies light through stimulated amplification and outputs emitted beams from one of edges at two ends includes a cladding layer of a first conductivity type formed on a semiconductor substrate, an active layer formed on the cladding layer of the first conductivity type, a cladding layer of a second conductivity type formed on the active layer, and a multilayer film formed at the other edge opposite to the one edge that emits the beams, reflectance of which has wavelength dependence, and a spectral shape of the emitted beams output from the one edge is controllable by the multilayer film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takeshi Uchida
  • Patent number: 9119148
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for reducing power consumption of a receiver in a mobile communication network comprising a sender transmitting packet data on a downlink channel to one or more receivers over a radio interface. Inactive time instants and listening time instants are defined according to provided rules. The receiver is arranged to listen for information from the sender during the listening time instants and to sleep during the inactive time instants. Thus, less power will be consumed during the inactive time instants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (Publ)
    Inventors: Pål Frenger, Per Magnusson, Stefan Parkvall, Niclas Wiberg
  • Patent number: 9103976
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a waveguide-type semiconductor device includes the steps of forming an epitaxial structure including a waveguide mesa and a device mesa; forming a mask for selective growth on the epitaxial structure; growing a semiconductor region on an end surface of the device mesa by using the mask for selective growth, the semiconductor region including a side portion having a layer shape and a protruding wall portion; forming an ohmic electrode on a top surface of the device mesa; forming a resin layer on the device mesa and the semiconductor region; forming a resin mask having an opening on the ohmic electrode; forming an electric conductor connecting the ohmic electrode to an electrode pad, the electric conductor passing over the protruding wall portion while making contact with a surface of the resin mask; and removing the resin mask after forming the electric conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuji Masuyama, Yoshihiro Yoneda, Hideki Yagi, Naoko Konishi
  • Patent number: 9076902
    Abstract: An integrated optical receiver architecture may be used to couple light between a multi-mode fiber (MMF) and silicon chip which includes integration of a silicon de-multiplexer and a high-speed Ge photo-detector. The proposed architecture may be used for both parallel and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) based optical links with a data rate of 25 Gb/s and beyond.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Ansheng Liu
  • Patent number: 9046807
    Abstract: A surface emitting laser includes a stepped structure including portions having different thicknesses. The optical path length from a plane defined above the stepped structure and extending parallel to a base substrate to an interface between a front mirror and the stepped structure is set to a specific value in each of the portions of the stepped structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ikuta
  • Patent number: 9048613
    Abstract: A hybrid vertical cavity laser includes an optical circuit substrate including a grating having refractive index units having a lower refractive index and a higher refractive index with respect to each other that are alternately arranged in a first direction, and a waveguide guiding light in the first direction, a mesa structure on the optical circuit substrate, the mesa structure including a first-type semiconductor layer including an exposed portion, an active layer, a second-type semiconductor layer, and an upper reflective layer sequentially stacked in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first electrode on the exposed portion, and a second electrode on the upper reflective layer. An overlapped length between the waveguide and a mesa aperture forming an opening through which light produced from the active layer enters the grating is D, a pitch of the grating is p, and 0<D<p.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Duanhua Kong, Taek Kim
  • Patent number: 9042421
    Abstract: There is provided a surface emitting laser allowing a direction of a far-field pattern (FFP) centroid to be inclined from a normal direction of a substrate providing the surface emitting laser, comprising: a substrate; a lower reflecting mirror, an active layer, an upper reflecting mirror stacked on the substrate; and a surface relief structure located in an upper portion of a light emitting surface of the upper reflecting mirror, the surface relief structure being made of a material allowing at least some beams emitted from the surface emitting laser to be transmitted therethrough, a plurality of regions having a predetermined optical thickness in a normal direction of the substrate being formed in contact with other region in an in-plane direction of the substrate, and a distribution of the optical thickness in the in-plane direction of the substrate is asymmetric to a central axis of the light emitting regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ikuta
  • Patent number: 9031106
    Abstract: Implementing a layered hyperbolic metamaterial in a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) to improve thermal conductivity and thermal dissipation thereby stabilizing optical performance. Improvement in the thermal management and power is expected by replacing the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors in the VCSEL. The layered metamaterial structure performs the dual function of the DBR and the heat spreader at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: Yannick C. Morel, Igor I. Smolyaninov
  • Patent number: 9020005
    Abstract: A multicolor photonic crystal laser array comprises pixels of monolithically grown gain sections each with a different emission center wavelength. As an example, two-dimensional surface-emitting photonic crystal lasers comprising broad gain-bandwidth III-nitride multiple quantum well axial heterostructures were fabricated using a novel top-down nanowire fabrication method. Single-mode lasing was obtained in the blue-violet spectral region with 60 nm of tuning (or 16% of the nominal center wavelength) that was determined purely by the photonic crystal geometry. This approach can be extended to cover the entire visible spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Jeremy B. Wright, Igal Brener, Ganapathi S. Subramania, George T. Wang, Qiming Li
  • Patent number: 9020006
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for high density laser optics are provided. An example, of a laser optics apparatus includes a plurality of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) in a monolithically integrated array, a high contrast grating (HCG) integrated with an aperture of a vertical cavity of each of the plurality of the VCSELs to enable emission of a single lasing wavelength of a plurality of lasing wavelengths, and a plurality of single mode waveguides, each integrated with a grating coupler, that are connected to each of the plurality of the integrated VCSELs and the HCGs, where each of the grating couplers is aligned to an integrated VCSEL and HCG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael Renne Ty Tan, David A. Fattal, Wayne V. Sorin, Sagi Varghese Mathai
  • Patent number: 9019437
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to display technologies. More specifically, various embodiments of the present invention provide projection display systems where one or more laser diodes are used as light source for illustrating images. In one set of embodiments, the present invention provides projector systems that utilize blue and/or green laser fabricated using gallium nitride containing material. In another set of embodiments, the present invention provides projection systems having digital lighting processing engines illuminated by blue and/or green laser devices. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a 3D display system. There are other embodiments as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Soraa Laser Diode, Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Raring, Paul Rudy
  • Patent number: 9014231
    Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) nanoscope is provided. The VCSEL nanoscope combines a VCSEL with a nano-scale aperture using a support member to separate the aperture from the VCSEL emission face. The resulting device is a useful near-field probe with a wide variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Sonny Vo, James S. Harris, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9013638
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to display technologies. More specifically, various embodiments of the present invention provide projection display systems where one or more laser diodes are used as a light source for illustrating images. In one set of embodiments, the present invention provides projector systems that utilize blue and/or green laser fabricated using gallium nitride containing material. In another set of embodiments, the present invention provides projection systems having digital lighting processing engines illuminated by blue and/or green laser devices. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a 3D display system. There are other embodiments as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Soraa Laser Diode, Inc.
    Inventors: James W. Raring, Paul Rudy
  • Patent number: 9014225
    Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) device includes a bottom distributed Bragg reflector (DBR); a top DBR; an optical cavity with an active layer stack formed between the bottom DBR and the top DBR, arranged for generating light with a predetermined emission wavelength; a top electrode layer with a first window formed above the top DBR; and a first heat dissipation layer sandwiched between the top DBR and the top electrode layer. The VCSEL device utilizes thicker, heavily doped semiconductor contact window for efficient heat dissipation from active region. Besides heat dissipation on the top side of VCSEL device, it also increases the bandwidth of VCSEL through top DBR reflectivity changes that reduce the photon lifetime via a surface relief structure etching on the top side of VCSEL device. Further, the invented VCSEL contains adjusted Aluminum molefractions in multiple sections of top and bottom DBRs to effectively dissipate heat from active region of VCSEL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd.
    Inventor: Babu Dayal Padullaparthi
  • Patent number: 9008139
    Abstract: A high field of view, low height package and wafer-level packaging process are provided. The top surface of a first wafer has recesses defined by sidewalls, with a reflector, and a floor. The reflector is incident a horizontal light path form an edge-emitting diode on the floor, directing the light path vertically. A second optically diffusing wafer receives the vertically directed light. A vertical ring to surround each recess is wafer-level fabricated on one of the wafers. The vertical ring may have a high aspect ratio to increase light diffusion. The second wafer is connected above the first such that each vertical ring encloses its corresponding recess and such that the light vertically exits the optically diffusing media after spanning the height of the vertical ring. Diode electrical connections are provided for externally controlling the diode. Individual packages are separated by double-dicing the connected wafers between the recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Pezhman Monadgemi, Vincent V. Wong, Prasad Yalamanchili, Reddy Raju, Erik Paul Zucker, Jay A. Skidmore
  • Patent number: 9001861
    Abstract: A device for producing a coherent bi-color light source, including: an array substrate, a first laser tube driven by a first direct current signal, a second laser tube driven by a modulation signal coupled by a microwave signal and a second DC signal, a half wave plate, a birefringent crystal, a first quarter wave plate, a partially reflecting plane mirror, and a second quarter wave plate. The first laser tube and the second laser tube are fixed on the array substrate. The half wave plate, the birefringent crystal, the first quarter wave plate, the partially reflecting plane mirror, and the second quarter wave plate are disposed in sequence in an emission direction of a laser beam emitted by the first laser tube. The second laser tube is disposed opposite to the birefringent crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Enxue Yun, Bozhong Tan, Sihong Gu
  • Patent number: 8989230
    Abstract: VCSEL apparatus having a substrate, a solid-state gain medium, a reflective mirror on one side of the medium, a movable reflective mirror on an opposite side of the medium, and a mechanism configured to move the movable mirror to tune a characteristic wavelength. Also described is a VCSEL apparatus having a silicon substrate having a slot therethrough and electrical connections formed on a first face, a substrate having VCSELs thereon and mounted across the slot and electrically connected to the electrical connections on the silicon substrate, and a glass substrate affixed to a second face of the silicon substrate. Also described is a VCSEL apparatus having a graded-index lens array having GRIN lenses mounted adjacently in a staggered arrangement, a PCB mounted to the lens array, and VCSEL chips mounted adjacently on the PCB and arranged so as to emit laser light through the lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Vixar
    Inventors: Matthew M. Dummer, William Hogan, Mary K. Hibbs-Brenner, Klein L. Johnson, Garrett D. Cole
  • Patent number: 8989231
    Abstract: A disclosed surface emitting laser device includes a light emitting section having a mesa structure where a lower reflection mirror, an oscillation structure, and an upper reflection mirror are laminated on a substrate, the oscillation structure including an active layer, the upper reflection mirror including a current confined structure where an oxide surrounds a current passage region, a first dielectric film that coats the entire surface of an emitting region of the light emitting section, the transparent dielectric including a part where the refractive index is relatively high and a part where the refractive index is relatively low, and a second dielectric film that coats a peripheral part on the upper surface of the mesa structure. Further, the dielectric film includes a lower dielectric film and an upper dielectric film, and the lower dielectric film is coated with the upper dielectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Shouji, Shunichi Sato
  • Publication number: 20150078412
    Abstract: A chip array structure for laser diodes, formed on an active surface of a semiconductor chip produced from a semiconductor process includes a plurality of light-emitting elements in an array arrangement, at least one insulation wall, at least two wire bond areas and a plurality of connection electrodes. The insulation wall separates the light-emitting elements into at least two light-emitting districts. The wire bond areas are positioned respective to the corresponding light-emitting districts. The connection electrodes electrically couple the wire bond areas with the corresponding light-emitting districts. The wire bond areas have independent electrodes, and the light-emitting districts are electrically isolated by the insulation wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicant: TrueLight Corporation
    Inventors: Jin-Shan Pan, Chih-Cheng Chen, Hsiu-Ming Hsieh
  • Publication number: 20150071320
    Abstract: The invention describes a method of manufacturing a VCSEL module (100) comprising at least one VCSEL chip (33) with an upper side (U) and a lower side (L) and with a plurality of VCSEL units (55) on a common carrier structure (35), the VCSEL units (55) comprising a first doped layer (50) of a first type facing towards the lower side (L) and a second doped layer (23) of a second type facing towards the upper side (U). The method comprises the steps of dividing the VCSEL chip (33) into a plurality of subarrays (39a, 39b, 39c, 39d, 39e, 39f, 39g, 39h, 39i) with at least one VCSEL unit (55) each, electrically connecting at least some of the subarrays (39a, 39b, 39c, 39d, 39e, 39f, 39g, 39h, 39i) in series. The invention also describes a VCSEL module (100) manufactured in such process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Stephan Gronenborn, Armand Pruijmboom, Raimond Louis Dumoulin, Michael Miller
  • Patent number: 8976833
    Abstract: An embodiment is a semiconductor device comprising an optical device over a first substrate, a vertical waveguide on a top surface of the optical device, the vertical waveguide having a first refractive index, and a capping layer over the vertical waveguide, the capping layer configured to be a lens for the vertical waveguide and the capping layer having a second refractive index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jui Hsieh Lai, Ying-Hao Kuo, Hai-Ching Chen, Tien-I Bao
  • Publication number: 20150063396
    Abstract: A disclosed vertical cavity surface emitting laser device emits light orthogonally in relation to a substrate and includes a resonator structure including an active layer; and semiconductor multilayer reflectors disposed in such a manner as to sandwich the resonator structure between them and including a confinement structure which confines an injected current and transverse modes of oscillation light at the same time. The confinement structure has an oxidized region which surrounds a current passage region. The oxidized region is formed by oxidizing a part of a selective oxidation layer which includes aluminum and includes at least an oxide. The selective oxidation layer is at least 25 nm in thickness. The semiconductor multilayer reflectors include an optical confinement reducing section which reduces optical confinement in a transverse direction. The optical confinement reducing section is disposed on the substrate side in relation to the resonator structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoto JIKUTANI, Shunichi SATO, Satoru SUGAWARA, Hiroshi MOTOMURA
  • Patent number: 8971367
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a surface-emitting laser that allows precise alignment of the center position of a surface relief structure and that of a current confinement structure and formation of the relief structure by means of which a sufficient loss difference can be introduced between the fundamental transverse and higher order transverse mode. Removing the dielectric film on the semiconductor layers and the first-etch stop layer along the second pattern, using a second- and third-etch stop layer are conducted in single step after forming the confinement structure. The relief structure is formed by three layers including a lower, middle and upper layer, and total thickness of three layers is equal to the optical thickness of an odd multiple of ¼ wavelength (?: oscillation wavelength, n: refractive index of the semiconductor layer). The layer right under the lower layer is the second-etch stop layer and the first-etch stop layer is laid right on this etch stop layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuro Uchida, Takeshi Uchida
  • Patent number: 8971372
    Abstract: A surface emitting laser device includes a substrate, a lower reflector, an active layer, an upper reflector, and surface emitting lasers configured to emit light. A second phase adjustment layer, a contact layer, a first phase adjustment layer, and a wavelength adjustment layer are successively layered from the active layer side. The total optical thickness from the active layer side of the second phase adjustment layer to the midsection of the wavelength adjustment layer is approximately (2N+1)×?/4, where ? represents a wavelength of light, and N represents a positive integer. The optical thickness from the active layer side of the second phase adjustment layer to the midsection of the contact layer is approximately N?/2. At least two of the surface emitting lasers have the wavelength adjustment layer arranged at different thicknesses and are configured to emit light with different wavelengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichiro Suzuki, Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8958449
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser device configured to emit laser light in a direction perpendicular to a substrate includes a p-side electrode surrounding an emitting area on an emitting surface to emit the laser light; and a transparent dielectric film formed on an outside area outside a center part of the emitting area and within the emitting area to lower a reflectance to be less than that of the center part. The outside area within the emitting area has shape anisotropy in two mutually perpendicular directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Harasaka, Shunichi Sato, Naoto Jikutani
  • Patent number: 8937982
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a surface-emitting laser element having a light-emitting mesa structure with an emitting area including a high-reflectance portion and a low-reflectance portion includes forming a layered body that includes a lower reflecting mirror, a cavity structure, and an upper reflecting mirror on a substrate; forming a first area on an upper surface of the layered body; forming a second area having the same size as the first area on the upper surface of the layered body; forming a light-emitting mesa structure and a monitoring-mesa structure by etching the first area and the second area, respectively; forming a confinement structure including a current passage area surrounded by an oxide in the light-emitting mesa structure and the monitoring-mesa structure; and measuring the size of the current passage area of the monitoring-mesa structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Higashi, Kazuhiro Harasaka
  • Patent number: 8934514
    Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) configured to operate in a gain switching regime includes a cavity that is terminated by reflectors at both ends for enabling a standing wave of optical radiation therebetween. The cavity comprises at least one quantum well, each of the quantum wells located at a position where a value of a standing wave factor for each quantum well is between zero and one, 0<?<1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignees: Oulun yliopisto, University of York
    Inventors: Juha Kostamovaara, Eugene A. Avrutin, Boris Ryvkin
  • Publication number: 20150010034
    Abstract: A short-cavity semiconductor laser heterostructure, such as a vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) comprising a laser cavity having upper and lower surfaces and an active region disposed between the upper and lower surfaces for generating light and emitting light substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the cavity, an upper high contrast grating (HGC) mirror disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the laser cavity, and a lower HCG mirror disposed adjacent to the lower surface of the laser cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Connie Chang-Hasnain, Li Zhu, Yi Rao
  • Patent number: 8929407
    Abstract: Optical pump modules comprising VCSEL and VCSEL array devices provide high optical power for configuring fiber optic gain systems such as fiber laser and fiber amplifier particularly suited for high power operation. Pump modules may be constructed using two reflector or three reflector VCSEL devices optionally integrated with microlens arrays and other optical components, to couple high power pump beams to an optical fiber output port, particularly suited to couple light to an inner cladding of a double-clad fiber suitable for a high power gain element. Multiple-pumps may be combined to increase pump power in a modular fashion without significant distortion to signal, particularly for short pulse operation. The pump modules may be operated in CW, QCW and pulse modes to configure fiber lasers and amplifiers using single end, dual end, and regenerative optical pumping modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Inventors: Jean-Francois Seurin, Qing Wang, Laurence Watkins, Chuni Lal Ghosh
  • Patent number: 8929412
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser light source that emits laser beams perpendicular to a top surface thereof; a first optical system that couples the beams from the light source; a deflecting unit that deflects the beams; a second optical system that guides the beams from the first optical system to the deflecting unit; a third optical system that focuses the beams deflected by the deflecting unit into an optical spot on a scanned surface; and a light-quantity adjusting element disposed between the light source and the deflecting unit and having a substrate formed of a first and second surfaces. The first surface of the light-quantity adjusting element is coated with neutral density coating and the second surface is coated with antireflection coating so that reflectance of the second surface is made smaller than reflectance of the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hibiki Tatsuno, Daisuke Ichii
  • Publication number: 20140376092
    Abstract: Optoelectronic apparatus includes a semiconductor die and a monolithic array of light-emitting elements formed on the semiconductor die in a grid pattern comprising multiple columns. Conductors formed on the die define a respective common contact for driving each column of the light-emitting elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventor: Zafrir Mor
  • Patent number: 8897330
    Abstract: The present invention provides a surface emitting laser that provides a sufficient optical output and is suitable as a light source intended for electrophotographic apparatuses, and a surface-emitting-laser array and an image forming apparatus each including the surface emitting laser. The surface emitting laser includes a first stepped structure on a front surface of a front mirror. In the first stepped structure, a difference L between an optical path length in a first area and an optical path length in a second area satisfies the following expression: (¼+N)?<|L|<(¾+N)? where N is an integer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Ikuta
  • Patent number: 8891569
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a VCSEL array comprising several VCSELs arranged side by side on a common substrate (1). Each VCSEL is formed of at least a top mirror (5, 14), an active region (4), a current injection layer (3) and an undoped bottom semiconductor mirror (2). The current injection layer (3) is arranged between the active region (4) and the bottom semiconductor mirror (2). At least an upper layer of the substrate (1) is electrically conducting. Trenches (8) and/or holes are formed between the bottom semiconductor mirrors (2) of said VCSELs to said upper layer of said substrate (1). A metallization (9) electrically connects the upper layer of the substrate (1) with the current injection layer (3) through said trenches (8) and/or holes. The proposed VCSEL array allows a homogeneous current injection an has a high efficiency and power density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Philipp Henning Gerlach
  • Patent number: 8891571
    Abstract: A disclosed vertical cavity surface emitting laser device emits light orthogonally in relation to a substrate and includes a resonator structure including an active layer; and semiconductor multilayer reflectors disposed in such a manner as to sandwich the resonator structure between them and including a confinement structure which confines an injected current and transverse modes of oscillation light at the same time. The confinement structure has an oxidized region which surrounds a current passage region. The oxidized region is formed by oxidizing a part of a selective oxidation layer which includes aluminum and includes at least an oxide. The selective oxidation layer is at least 25 nm in thickness. The semiconductor multilayer reflectors include an optical confinement reducing section which reduces optical confinement in a transverse direction. The optical confinement reducing section is disposed on the substrate side in relation to the resonator structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Jikutani, Shunichi Sato, Satoru Sugawara, Hiroshi Motomura
  • Patent number: 8891573
    Abstract: Use of semiconductor materials having a lattice constant of within +/?1.6% of 6.1 angstroms facilitates improved semiconductor device performance and new semiconductor structures, for example integration of field-effect devices and optoelectronic devices on a single wafer. High-mobility channels are enabled, improving device performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents
    Inventor: Yong-Hang Zhang
  • Patent number: 8885683
    Abstract: A process for forming a microstructure of a nitride semiconductor including (1) preparing a semiconductor structure which has a second semiconductor layer formed of a group III nitride semiconductor containing at least Al formed on a principal plane of a first semiconductor layer formed of a group III nitride semiconductor containing no Al, and which has a hole that penetrates through the second semiconductor layer and is formed in the first semiconductor layer; (2) subjecting the semiconductor structure to heat treatment under a gas atmosphere including a nitrogen element after step (1) to form a crystal plane of the group III nitride semiconductor containing no Al, on at least a part of a side wall of the hole; and (3) forming a third semiconductor layer formed of a group III nitride semiconductor on the second semiconductor layer after step (2) to cover the upper part of the hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Hoshino, Yasuhiro Nagatomo, Shoichi Kawashima, Takeshi Kawashima
  • Patent number: 8861564
    Abstract: A photonic crystal surface emitting laser array reduces the occurrence of reflected feedback light while also reducing input of leaking light. The photonic crystal surface emitting laser array includes a plurality of first photonic crystal regions that cause laser oscillation, a second photonic crystal region that causes light diffraction to occur in an out-of-plane direction, and a light absorber that is provided above the second photonic crystal region and that absorbs light having a wavelength ?. A radiation coefficient of each first photonic crystal region is smaller than a radiation coefficient of the second photonic crystal region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nagatomo, Takeshi Kawashima
  • Patent number: 8861562
    Abstract: Provided is a vertical light emitting device comprising an upper multilayer reflective film and a lower multilayer reflective film that are formed facing each other and oscillate light; an intermediate layer that is formed below the upper multilayer reflective film and includes a layer having a different composition than the upper multilayer reflective film; and an electrode portion that is formed to sandwich the intermediate layer in a cross-sectional plane parallel to an oscillation direction of the light and to have a top end that is higher than a top surface of the intermediate layer. After the electrode portion is formed to sandwich the intermediate layer, the upper multilayer reflective film is layered on the intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihito Suzuki, Keishi Takaki, Suguru Imai, Yasumasa Kawakita
  • Patent number: 8855149
    Abstract: A Fabry-Pérot tunable filter device is described with reflecting elements separated by an optical path length to form an optical resonator cavity. A first actuator means is directly or indirectly coupled with a first reflecting element. And the first actuator means is configured to modulate the optical path length between first and second reflecting elements by a modulation amplitude to thereby sweep the optical resonator cavity through a band of optical resonance frequencies with a sweep frequency of 70 kHz or more. And the mechanical coupling between selected elements of the arrangement is sufficiently low such that when operated at the sweep frequency, the selected elements act as a system of coupled oscillating elements. In addition or alternatively, the first actuator means is directly or indirectly coupled with the first reflecting element so as to substantially drive the first reflecting element only.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
    Inventors: Robert Huber, Wolfgang Wieser, Thomas Klein, Christoph Eigenwillig, Benjamin Biedermann, Dieter Muellner, Michael Eder
  • Patent number: 8855160
    Abstract: Specifically, provided is a horizontal-cavity surface-emitting laser including, on a semiconductor substrate: a cavity structure; a waveguide layer; and a reflecting part, wherein a first electrode provided on the semiconductor substrate along side regions of the cavity structure and the reflecting part and a second electrode provided on the main surface of the cavity structure are provided, the first electrode includes an electrode (1) that is provided around one side region of the reflecting part located in the direction intersecting with the traveling direction of light guided through the waveguide layer and an electrode (2) provided around one side region of the cavity structure and the other side region of the reflecting part that are located in the direction parallel with the traveling direction of light guided through the waveguide layer, and the shape of the electrode (2) has different widths at at least two positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Adachi, Yasunobu Matsuoka, Toshiki Sugawara, Kazunori Shinoda, Shinji Tsuji
  • Patent number: 8855163
    Abstract: An optical semiconductor device of one embodiment includes: a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type; an active layer provided on the first semiconductor layer and has a ring- or disk-like shape; a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type that is provided on the active layer and has a ring- or disk-like shape; a first electrode provided on the first semiconductor layer; and a second electrode provided on the second semiconductor layer. The first semiconductor layer includes a first region having a ring- or disk-like shape, and a second region provided around the outer circumference of the first region and has a smaller thickness than the first region. The first electrode is provided on the second region, and a groove or holes are provided in a portion of the second region located between the first region and the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Haruhiko Yoshida, Kazuya Ohira, Mizunori Ezaki
  • Patent number: 8855161
    Abstract: A semiconductor laser device includes a substrate, ridge stripes on the substrate and separated by separation sections, a top surface electrode continuously extending over the ridge stripes, and a bottom surface electrode on a bottom surface of the substrate. Each of the ridge stripes includes a lower cladding layer on the substrate, an active layer on the lower cladding layer, an upper cladding layer on the active layer, and a contact layer on the upper cladding layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Motoda
  • Patent number: 8855162
    Abstract: A disclosed surface emitting laser device includes a light emitting section having a mesa structure where a lower reflection mirror, an oscillation structure, and an upper reflection mirror are laminated on a substrate, the oscillation structure including an active layer, the upper reflection mirror including a current confined structure where an oxide surrounds a current passage region, a first dielectric film that coats the entire surface of an emitting region of the light emitting section, the transparent dielectric including a part where the refractive index is relatively high and a part where the refractive index is relatively low, and a second dielectric film that coats a peripheral part on the upper surface of the mesa structure. Further, the dielectric film includes a lower dielectric film and an upper dielectric film, and the lower dielectric film is coated with the upper dielectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Shouji, Shunichi Sato