Patents by Inventor Toshiyuki Kawakami

Toshiyuki Kawakami has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110134948
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor laser chip improved more in heat dissipation performance. This semiconductor laser chip includes a substrate, which has a front surface and a rear surface, nitride semiconductor layers, which are formed on the front surface of the substrate, an optical waveguide (ridge portion), which is formed in the nitride semiconductor layers, an n-side electrode, which is formed on the rear surface of the substrate, and notched portions, which are formed in regions that include the substrate to run along the optical waveguide (ridge portion). The notched portions have notched surfaces on which a metal layer connected to the n-side electrode is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Akira Ariyoshi
  • Patent number: 7928460
    Abstract: In a laser chip 1 using a nitride semiconductor having a hexagonal crystal structure, the ?c plane is used as a first resonator facet A, which is the side of the laser chip 1 through which light is emitted. On the first resonator facet A, that is, on the ?c plane, a facet protection film 14 is formed. This ensures firm joint between the first resonator facet A and the facet protection film 14 and alleviates deterioration of the first resonator facet A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yoshinobu Kawaguchi, Takeshi Kamikawa
  • Patent number: 7899100
    Abstract: In a GaN-based laser device having a GaN-based semiconductor stacked-layered structure including a light emitting layer, the semiconductor stacked-layered structure includes a ridge stripe structure causing a stripe-shaped waveguide, and has side surfaces opposite to each other to sandwich the stripe-shaped waveguide in its width direction therebetween. At least part of at least one of the side surfaces is processed to prevent the stripe-shaped waveguide from functioning as a Fabry-Perot resonator in the width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Tomoki Ono
  • Publication number: 20100329294
    Abstract: Provided is a nitride semiconductor laser device that is reduced in capacitance to have a better response. The nitride semiconductor laser device includes: an active layer; an upper cladding layer which is stacked above the active layer; a low dielectric constant insulating film which is stacked above the upper cladding layer; and a pad electrode which is stacked above the low dielectric constant insulating film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Kentaro Tani, Yoshihiko Tani, Toshiyuki Kawakami
  • Patent number: 7724793
    Abstract: At each side of a ridge stripe 110, a trench is formed as a region carved relative to a wafer surface so that, at the time of cleaving, a surface irregularity that develops at a mirror facet near an active layer is prevented from reaching the ridge stripe 110.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yukio Yamasaki, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20090200573
    Abstract: In a laser chip 1 using a nitride semiconductor having a hexagonal crystal structure, the ?c plane is used as a first resonator facet A, which is the side of the laser chip 1 through which light is emitted. On the first resonator facet A, that is, on the ?c plane, a facet protection film 14 is formed. This ensures firm joint between the first resonator facet A and the facet protection film 14 and alleviates deterioration of the first resonator facet A.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yoshinobu Kawaguchi, Takeshi Kamikawa
  • Publication number: 20090168827
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor laser chip is provided that can not only improve its COD level but also prevent its I-L characteristic curve from rising steeply and that can reduce an operating voltage. The nitride semiconductor laser chip includes layers constituting a nitride semiconductor layer and formed on an n-type GaN substrate, mirror facets including a light emission mirror facet and a light reflection mirror facet, a p-side ohmic contact formed on an upper contact layer to reach the mirror facets and a p-side pad contact formed in a region only a distance L1 away from the light emission mirror facet. The thickness d of the p-side ohmic contact and the distance L1 from the p-side ohmic contact to the light emission mirror facet are adjusted such that the amount of current injected into the light emission mirror facet is 20% or more but 70% or less of the amount of current injected into an area directly below the p-side pad contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Takeshi Kamikawa, Kentaro Tani
  • Publication number: 20080304528
    Abstract: In a nitride semiconductor laser device so structured as to suppress development of a step on nitride semiconductor layers, the substrate has the (11-20) plane as the principal plane, the resonator end surface is perpendicular to the principal plane, and, in the cleavage surface forming the resonator end surface, at least by one side of a stripe-shaped waveguide, an etched-in portion is formed as an etched-in region open toward the surface of the nitride semiconductor layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Inventors: Shuichiro Yamamoto, Shigetoshi Ito, Fumio Yamashita, Toshiyuki Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20080298409
    Abstract: In a nitride semiconductor laser chip so structured as to suppress development of a step on nitride semiconductor layers, the substrate has the (1-100) plane as the principal plane, the resonator facet is perpendicular to the principal plane, and, in the cleavage surface forming the resonator facet, at least by one side of a stripe-shaped waveguide, an etched-in portion is formed as an etched-in region open toward the surface of the nitride semiconductor layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Fumio Yamashita, Shigetoshi Ito, Shuichiro Yamamoto, Toshiyuki Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20080004510
    Abstract: A worn type electronic device comprises: a light emitting element for emitting a light having a specified wave length and a light guide means for guiding the light emitted from the light emitting element in a specified direction; the light emitting element disposed in a body of the worn type electronic device, wherein a light emission of the light emitting element is controlled based on the control of the worn type electronic device; and the light guide means including at least one of a body side light guide means disposed in the body of the worn type electronic device and a band side light guide means disposed in a band, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting element is emitted from the surface of the body of the worn type electronic device via the body side light guide means; or wherein the light emitted from the light emitting element is emitted from the surface of the band via the band side light guide means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Tanzawa, Toshiyuki Kawakami, Nobuto Fukushima, Hideki Shimizu, Tsuneharu Kasai, Shigeru Futakami, Kouji Fujii
  • Publication number: 20070121692
    Abstract: At each side of a ridge stripe 110, a trench is formed as a region carved relative to a wafer surface so that, at the time of cleaving, a surface irregularity that develops at a mirror facet near an active layer is prevented from reaching the ridge stripe 110.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yukio Yamasaki, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7199398
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor light emitting device includes at least a substrate, an active layer formed of a nitride semiconductor containing mainly In and Ga, a p-electrode and an n-electrode. At least one of the p-electrode and n-electrode is electrically separated into at least two regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoki Ono, Shigetoshi Ito, Toshiyuki Okumura, Hirokazu Mouri, Kyoko Matsuda, Toshiyuki Kawakami, Takeshi Kamikawa, Yoshihiko Tani
  • Patent number: 7167489
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, a nitride semiconductor laser device includes a nitride semiconductor active layer, and a stripe-shaped waveguide for guiding light generated in the active layer. At least one pair of light-absorbing films are provided in at least local regions on the opposite sides of the stripe-shaped waveguide, to reach a distance within 0.3 ?m from the waveguide. According to another aspect of the present invention, a gan-based semiconductor laser device includes first conductivity type semiconductor layers, a semiconductor active layer and second conductivity type semiconductor layers stacked sequentially. The laser device further includes a ridge stripe provided to cause a refractive index difference for confinement of light in a lateral direction crossing a longitudinal direction of a cavity, and a current-introducing window portion provided on the ridge stripe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yukio Yamasaki, Tomoki Ono, Shigetoshi Ito, Susumu Omi
  • Patent number: 7123642
    Abstract: A multi-wavelength laser device includes at least two of a blue laser diode, a red laser diode, and an infrared laser diode, which are arranged in the same direction on the same base. One laser light emission point is arranged behind another in increasing order of wavelengths of the laser diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Mototaka Taneya
  • Patent number: 7041523
    Abstract: In a wafer having an LD structure 251 formed on a GaN-based substrate 250, cleavage guide grooves 252 are formed in its surface by scribing from above the LD structure 251 with a diamond needle. The cleavage guide grooves 252 are formed one along each of stripe-shaped waveguides 253 formed parallel to the <1-100> direction of the wafer, and are formed in the shape of broken lines in the <11-20> direction of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yukio Yamasaki, Shigetoshi Ito, Susumu Omi
  • Patent number: 6865201
    Abstract: In connection with a nitride semiconductor laser device optimal for example for optical pickup and an optical information reproduction apparatus having superior condensation characteristics, the semiconductor laser device includes a substrate of nitride semiconductor, a lower clad layer of nitride semiconductor stacked thereon, an active layer stacked thereon, an upper clad layer of nitride semiconductor stacked thereon, and a contact layer of AlaInbGa1?a?bN stacked thereon having a lattice constant larger than the substrate of nitride semiconductor, and the device is cleaved and thus divided to have a surface serving as a resonator mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigetoshi Ito, Yukio Yamasaki, Toshiyuki Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20050030995
    Abstract: In a GaN-based laser device (100) having a GaN-based semiconductor stacked-layered structure including a light emitting layer (106), the semiconductor stacked-layered structure includes a ridge stripe structure (111) causing a stripe-shaped waveguide, and has side surfaces (117, 118) opposite to each other to sandwich the stripe-shaped waveguide in its width direction therebetween. At least part of at least one of the side surfaces (117, 118) is processed to prevent the stripe-shaped waveguide from functioning as a Fabry-Perot resonator in the width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Tomoki Ono, Shigetoshi Ito, Susumu Omi
  • Publication number: 20040245537
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, a nitride semiconductor laser device includes a nitride semiconductor active layer (106), and a stripe-shaped waveguide for guiding light generated in the active layer. At least one pair of light-absorbing films (112) are provided in at least local regions on the opposite sides of the stripe-shaped waveguide, to reach a distance within 0.3 &mgr;m from the waveguide. According to another aspect of the present invention, a GaN-based semiconductor laser device includes first conductivity type semiconductor layers (103-105), a semiconductor active layer (106) and second conductivity type semiconductor layers (107-110) stacked sequentially. The laser device further includes a ridge stripe (111) provided to cause a refractive index difference for confinement of light in a lateral direction crossing a longitudinal direction of a cavity, and a current-introducing window portion (114) provided on the ridge stripe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yukio Yamasaki, Tomoki Ono, Shigetoshi Ito, Susumu Omi
  • Publication number: 20040196877
    Abstract: A multi-wavelength laser device includes at least two of a blue laser diode, a red laser diode, and an infrared laser diode, which are arranged in the same direction on the same base. One laser light emission point is arranged behind another in increasing order of wavelengths of the laser diodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Publication date: October 7, 2004
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Mototaka Taneya
  • Publication number: 20040191942
    Abstract: In a wafer having an LD structure 251 formed on a GaN-based substrate 250, cleavage guide grooves 252 are formed in its surface by scribing from above the LD structure 251 with a diamond needle. The cleavage guide grooves 252 are formed one along each of stripe-shaped waveguides 253 formed parallel to the <1-100> direction of the wafer, and are formed in the shape of broken lines in the <11-20> direction of the wafer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Publication date: September 30, 2004
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kawakami, Yukio Yamasaki, Shigetoshi Ito, Susumu Omi