Abstract: A planar, topology free, semiconductor quantum-well laser is described. The quantum-well active layer is formed and patterned in a specified region which is constrained on all sides by high bandgaps which are formed through the use of impurity-free diffusion techniques. After the impurity-free diffusion has taken place, an upper portion is then epitaxially deposited to complete the structure. High-power, single fundamental mode laser operation is achieved by funneling current into the constrained quantum-well active region, high bandgap regions in conjunction with low index of refraction in regions surrounding the active area. The structure is further designed to allow low beam divergence in the direction perpendicular to the semiconductor laser junction.

Abstract: A planar, topology free, semiconductor quantum-well laser is described. The quantum-well active layer is formed and patterned in a specified region which is constrained on all sides by high bandgaps which are formed through the use of impurity-free diffusion techniques. After the impurity-free diffusion has taken place, an upper portion is then epitaxially deposited to complete the structure. High-power, single fundamental mode laser operation is achieved by funneling current into the constrained quantum-well active region, high bandgap regions in conjunction with low index of refraction in regions surrounding the active area.The structure is further designed to allow low beam divergence in the direction perpendicular to the semiconductor laser junction.

Abstract: A semiconductor ridge waveguide laser structure with a roughened sidewall ridge that includes a substrate and an active layer disposed between lower and upper cladding layers. The structure further includes a waveguide ridge which comprises a contact layer and a trapezoidal ridge portion 16 of the upper cladding layer. The trapezoidal ridge portion has roughened sidewalls which provides low contact resistance.

Abstract: A semiconductor ridge waveguide laser having a high value of horizontal far-field wherein the laser structure includes a substrate, a first or lower cladding layer composed of a AlGaAs on the substrate, an acting layer on the lower cladding layer, and a second or upper cladding layer composed of AlGaAs on the active layer. The upper cladding layer includes a raised ridge portion formed by etching the upper cladding layer through a mask. A contact layer is disposed on top of the ridge portion. The aluminum mole concentration of the lower cladding layer is greater than the aluminum mole concentration of the upper cladding layer. This forces the optical mode towards the upper cladding layer and results in an increased lateral waveguide confinement that produces a high horizontal far-field.

Abstract: A method for cleaving semiconductor wafers, or segments thereof, which comprises placing the wafer, provided with scribe lines defining the planes where cleaving is to take place, inbetween a pair of flexible transport bands and guiding it around a curved, large radius surface thereby applying a bending moment. With a moment of sufficient magnitude, individual bars are broken off the wafer as this is advanced, the bars having front-and rear-end facets. On cleaving, each bar, while still pressed against the curved surface, is automatically separated whereby mutual damage of the facets of neighboring bars is prevented. For further handling, e.g. for the transport of the bars to an evaporation station for passivation layer deposition, provisions are made to keep the bars separated. Cleaving and the subsequent passivation coating can be carried out in-situ in a vacuum system to prevent facet contamination prior to applying the passivation.

Abstract: A process for forming the ridge structure of a self-aligned InP-system, double heterostructure (DH) laser, particularly useful for long wavelength devices as required for signal transmission systems includes a thin Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer (41) inserted between a photoresist mask (42) that defines the ridge structure, and a contact layer (35). Using a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer (4) deposited at a high plasma excitation frequency (RF) for adhesion promotion, and a low frequency deposited (LF) Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layer (43) for device embedding, provides for the etch selectively required in the process step that is used to expose the contact layer to ohmic contact metallization deposition.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for producing coherent blue-green-light radiation having a wavelength of essentially 490-500 nm. A diode laser, such as a strained-layer InGaAs/GaAs diode laser, provides a 980-1,000 nm beam, and a nonlinear crystal of KTP produces coherent radiation by noncritically phase-matched second-harmonic generation (SHG) of said beam. The beam preferably has a wavelength of essentially 994 nm for generating radiation having a wavelength of essentially 497 nm. The crystal is disposed within an optical resonator and the frequency of the laser is locked to that of the resonator. Alternatively, two diode lasers are oriented to provide orthogonally polarized beams each with a wavelength of 980-1,000 nm but within essentially 1 nm of each other, and the KTP crystal is oriented with its a- and c-axis parallel to the orthogonally polarized beams. The KTP crystal may have an associated optical waveguide along which the beam is propagated to enhance SHG efficiency.

Abstract: An integrated semiconductor structure with optically coupled laser diode (11) and photodiode 12A, both devices having etched, vertical facets (16A, 21). The photodiode has a spatially non-uniform sensitivity profile with respect to the incident light beam (18A) emitted by the laser. This is due to the varying distance from the laser facet and/or to variations in the angle of incidence and results in photocurrents produced by the photodiode that depend on the intensity distribution of the light beam. The spatially non-uniform sensitivity profile allows the measurement of the far-field intensity distribution of the laser and thus on-wafer screening of lasers with respect to their mode stability.

Abstract: A GaAs/AlGaAs-transverse junction stripe (TJS) laser with p-n junction formation by crystal plane dependent doping is described. The laser structure includes a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-deposited hetero-structure comprising AlGaAs layers with an active GaAs layer sandwiched therebetween. These layers are grown on the patterned surface of a GaAs substrate which provides (100)-plane oriented planar ridges and grooves, the edges being (111A)-plane oriented. p-n homojunctions are formed in the GaAs layer at the intersections of the (111A) and (100) crystal planes. Ohmic contacts are provided for applying currents of at least the threshold level of the junctions. These TJS lasers can be used to form 1- or 2-dimensional arrays of phase-coupled lasers for providing high optical power output.

Abstract: The waveguide comprises a transparent body having a very sharp point at one end and being coated with a first opaque layer, such as metal. The first opaque layer carries a layer of an optically transparent material which is covered, in turn, by a second opaque layer. The apex of the point has been removed so as to expose the transparent body through a first aperture and to expose the transparent layer through a second aperture, the first aperture occupying an area of less than 0.01 .mu.m.sup.2.Light enters the transparent body at its remote end and exits through the first aperture to illuminate an object. Reflected light from the object enters the transparent layer through the second aperture and is guided to a light detector for further processing.

Abstract: A method for the fabrication of self-aligned MESFET structures with a recessed refractory submicron gate. After channel formation on a semi-insulating (SI) substrate, which may consist of a III-V compound semiconductor such as GaAs, with subsequent annealing, refractory gate material is deposited and patterned. This is followed by the overgrowth of a highly doped contact layer of, e.g., GaAs, using MOCVD of MBE processes resulting in poly-crystalline material over the gate "mask" and mono-crystalline material on exposed semiconductor surfaces. Next, the poly-crystalline material is removed in a selective etch process, this step being followed by the deposition of source and drain electrodes. In order to further improve process reliability, insulating sidewalls are provided at the vertical edges of the gate to avoid source-gate and drain-gate shorts.

Abstract: The transistor comprises two electrodes, (source (22) and drain (23), with a semiconductor tunnel channel (21A, 21B) arranged therebetween. A gate (24) for applying control signals is coupled to the channel. The semiconductor channel consists of a plurality of regions differing in their current transfer characteristics: contact regions (21c), connected to the source and drain electrodes, and a tunneling region (21t) arranged between the contact regions. The energy of free carriers in the contact regions differs from the energy of the conduction band or the valence band of the tunneling region which forms a low energy tunnel barrier the height (.DELTA.E) of which can be modified by control signals applied to the gate. The operating temperature of the device is kept sufficiently low to have the tunnel current through the barrier outweigh currents of thermionically excited carriers.