Abstract: A method and fixture for laser bar facet coating are disclosed. A holder for securing devices having surfaces for coating includes first and second channels. A plurality of web slats are received in the channels. The web slats have first and second ends and first and second device engaging surfaces. The ends of the web slats are received in respective channels. The ends of the web slats cooperate with the ends of adjacent web slats. The web slats are secured at one end of the channels and otherwise are movable along the channels between an open position to receive devices therebetween for coating and a closed position in which edges of the web slats engage the devices received therebetween for coating. A bias member may be used to retain the web slats in the closed position gripping the devices for coating. In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for coating surfaces of substantially parallelepiped devices.

Abstract: An active semiconductor device includes a coating comprising an oxide of tantalum and aluminum. The coating may function as an AR coating or as a passivation coating. Applications to ICs and optical devices are described.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method for cleaving a semiconductor bar and coating the cleaved facets within a vacuum environment. The apparatus is a fixture having at least one rotator for cleaving one or more semiconductor samples into semiconductor bars and positioning the semiconductor bars for immediate coating of their cleaved facets. The fixture is operably positioned within a processing chamber and exposed to a conventional coating medium before, during or immediately after cleaving the semiconductor sample. The fixture cleaves the semiconductor samples in a manner that reduces semiconductor sample waste and also allows the processing environment requirements to be reduced compared to other cleaving and coating techniques. A single actuation feed-through mechanism actuates the fixture from outside of the processing chamber.

Abstract: In a method of making a GaAs-based semiconductor laser, a fully processed wafer is cleaved, typically in the ambient atmosphere, into laser bars, the laser bars are loaded into an evacuable deposition chamber (preferably an ECR CVD chamber) and exposed to a H.sub.2 S plasma. Following the exposure, the cleavage facets are coated in the chamber with a protective dielectric (preferably silicon nitride) layer. The method can be practiced with high through-put, and can yield lasers (e.g., 980 nm pump lasers for optical fiber amplifiers) capable of operation at high power.