Abstract: A radiation-emitting semiconductor diode of a buried hetero type having an active layer situated between two InP cladding layers with a confinement layer of limited Al content disposed between the active layer and one or both of the InP cladding layers. The active region has an emission wavelength above 1 .mu.m and forms part, together with the separate confinement layer and the InP cladding layers, of a strip-shaped region which is surrounded by a current-blocking third cladding layer of InP. The separate confinement layer(s) of the inventive diode includes a semiconductor material with a most 30% aluminum, and preferably at most 20% aluminum, or an aluminum-free semiconductor material. The diode has reduced starting current increases over time so as to increase the life of the diode. A method of manufacturing such a diode is also provided.

Abstract: A passive region is provided adjacent the mirror surface of a laser. A mesa is formed with an end face parallel to the mirror surface to be formed. The passive region is grown against the end face, and the mirror surface is formed therein by cleaving. The passive region is provided exclusively at the area of the active region. The passive region is provided at the area of the active region preferably in the following manner: two depressions are formed in the layer structure of the laser at the area of the mirror surface to be formed, reaching down to the active layer. Then a portion of the active layer situated between the depressions is selectively removed, whereupon the passive region is grown starting from the depressions in the tubular cavity thus formed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a III-V laser (amplifier) with an active region (4A) which encloses a small angle with the end faces (50, 51), is separated therefrom by a preferably current-blocking cladding layer (5) and has a tapering end (40) of which a first side face (42) coincides with a side face (42) of the remainder of the strip-shaped active region (4A), while a second side face (43) thereof encloses an acute angle with the perpendicular to the end faces (50, 51). Such a laser has an amplification ripple, which is undesirable. In a laser according to the invention, the second side face (43) of the tapering portion (40) encloses an angle with the perpendicular to the end face (50, 51) which lies between 0.degree. and 30.degree., preferably between 0.degree. and 10.degree., and which is preferably approximately 0.degree.. The laser according to the invention has a particularly low reflection, as a result of which said amplification ripple is absent or at least very small.

Abstract: Optoelectronic semiconductor devices including a semiconductor body with a semiconductor substrate and a substantially plane semiconductor layer structure of III-V semiconductor materials situated thereon, a mesa being formed at a surface of the semiconductor body by means of selective deposition and forming part of an optoelectronic element, are important components in optical communication and optical disc systems or bar code readers. The optoelectronic element often is a semiconductor diode laser, but may alternatively be, for example, a radiation guide. A disadvantage of the known devices is that parasitic deposition takes place next to the mesa during the selective deposition. In addition, the device often contains so-called cleavage steps near the mesa. Another disadvantage is that the height and flatness of the upper side of the mesa are not accurately controllable.

Abstract: An optical amplifier with a semiconductor body includes a layer structure grown on a substrate, with an active layer between two cladding layers, and a strip-shaped amplification region bounded by two end faces of low reflection which form the input and output faces for the radiation to be amplified. The active layer has a number of quantum well (QW) layers with direct band transition, and separated by barrier layers of a different semiconductor material, a first portion of the QW layers being under tensile stress. Another portion of the layers forming part of the active layer is under compressive stress. Owing to the compressive stress present locally in the amplification region, the TE-mode is more strongly amplified there than the TM-mode, while in the tensile portion of the amplification region the TM-mode is more strongly amplified than the TE-mode. This results in a polarization-insensitive amplifier with higher stress and thus with a large amplification at a relatively low current.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a monocrystalline substrate and a plurality of epitaxial layers successively deposited on the substrate is disclosed. The device is manufactured by successively contacting the substrate with solutions which are previously saturated by contact with a plurality of auxiliary substrates, in a process in which the monocrystalline substrate, the auxiliary substrates and the solutions are cooled before the layers are deposited. The method includes the steps of contacting a first auxiliary substrate with a first solution, contacting a second auxiliary substrate with this first solution while simultaneously contacting the first auxiliary substrate with a second solution, contacting the monocrystalline substrate with the first solution to deposit a first layer thereon while simultaneously contacting a second auxiliary substrate with the second solution, and then contacting the monocrystalline with the second solution to deposit a second layer thereon.