The effect of cladding layer thickness on large optical cavity650-nm lasers

The reduction in penetration of the optical mode into the cladding layers in large optical cavity (LOC) laser structures offers the possibility of reducing the cladding-layer thickness. This could be particularly beneficial in GaInP-AlGaInP high-power devices by reducing the thermal impedance and the electrical series resistance. We have designed and characterized 650-nm LOC lasers by modeling the optical loss due to incomplete confinement of the optical mode by the cladding layers and calculating the thermally activated leakage current. This indicated that the cladding thickness could be reduced to 0.5 μm without adversely affecting performance. We investigated devices with 0.3-, 0.5-, and 1-μm-wide cladding layers. The measured optical mode loss of the 0.3-μm-wide cladding device was 36.2 cm^-1 compared with 12.4 and 11.3 cm^-1 for the 0.5- and 1-μm-wide cladding samples, respectively. The threshold current densities of the 0.5- and 1.0-μm devices were similar over the temperature range investigated (120-320 K), whereas the 0.3-μm devices had significantly higher threshold current density. We show that this can be attributed to the higher optical loss and increased leakage current through the thin cladding layer. The intrinsic gain characteristics were the same in all the devices, irrespective of the cladding-layer thickness. The measured thermal impedance of 2-mm-long devices was reduced from 30.7 to 22.3 K/W by reducing the cladding thickness from 1 to 0.5 μm. Our results show that this can be achieved without detriment to the threshold characteristics     

High-performance 980-nm quantum-well lasers using a hybrid materialsystem of an Al-free InGaAs-InGaAsP active region and AlGaAs claddinglayers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

We report on the material growth and fabrication of high-performance 980-nm strained quantum-well lasers employing a hybrid material system consisting of an Al-free InGaAs-InGaAsP active region and AlGaAs cladding layers. The use of AlGaAs cladding instead of InGaP provides potential advantages in flexibility of laser design, simple epitaxial growth, and improvement of surface morphology and laser performance. The as-grown InGaAs-InGaAsP(1.6 eV)-AlGaAs(1.95 eV) lasers achieve a low threshold current density of 150 A/cm² (at a cavity length of 1500 μm), internal quantum efficiency of ~95%, and low internal loss of 1.8 cm^-1. Both broad-area and ridge-waveguide laser devices are fabricated. For 100-μm-wide stripe lasers with a cavity length of 800 μm, a slope efficiency of 1.05 W/A and a characteristic temperature coefficient (T₀) of 230 K are achieved. The lifetime test demonstrates a reliable performance. The comparison with our fabricated InGaAs-InGaAsP(1.6 eV)-AlGaAs(1.87 eV) lasers and Al-free InGaAs-InGaAsP (1.6 eV)-InGaP lasers are also given and discussed. The selective etching between AlGaAs and InGaAsP is successfully used for the formation of a ridge-waveguide structure. For 4-μm-wide ridge-waveguide laser devices, a maximum output power of 350 mW is achieved. The fundamental mode output power can be up to 190 mW with a slope efficiency as high as 0.94 W/A     

Optical and microwave performance of GaAs-AlGaAs and strained layerInGaAs-GaAs-AlGaAs graded index separate confinement heterostructuresingle quantum well lasers

GaAs-AlGaAs and strained layer In_0.3Ga_0.7As-GaAs-AlGaAs GRINSCH SQW lasers grown by molecular beam epitaxy are discussed. The strained-layers have threshold currents of 12 mA for 30-μm×400-μm devices (1000 A/cm²) and threshold current densities of 167 A/cm² for 150-μm×800-μm devices. The threshold currents of strained-layer InGaAs lasers are lower than those of GaAs for all dimensions tested with 20-μm-wide GaAs devices exhibiting threshold currents three times those of In_0.3Ga_0.7As devices. Microwave modulation of 10-μm×500-μm strained-layer lasers with simple mesa structures yields bandwidths of 6 GHz. For all dimensions tested, strained-layer InGaAs devices have greater bandwidths than GaAs devices. These measurements confirm theoretical predictions of the effects of valence band modification due to biaxially compressive strain     

Stable operation (over 5000 h) of high-power 0.98-μm InGaAs-GaAsstrained quantum well ridge waveguide lasers for pumpingEr3+-doped fiber amplifiers

A maximum output power of 115 mW and a slope efficiency of 0.92 W/A have been achieved in 0.98-μm InGaAs strained quantum well lasers with a 3-μm-wide ridge waveguide structure for efficient fiber coupling. Stable operation of over 5000 h under 50°C constant power operation with an optical power density of 3.9 MW/cm² has been demonstrated with a degradation rate as low as 5×10^-6 per hour. These results show that this device is promising as a practical pumping source for Er³⁺-doped fiber optical amplifiers     

Continuous-wave type-II “QW” lasers emitting atλ=5.4-7.1 μm

Optically pumped type-II QW lasers emitting in the 5.4-7.1 -μm wavelength range and at continuous-wave (CW) temperatures up to 210 K are demonstrated. At 80 K, the maximum CW output power from a 40-μm-wide pump stripe is 48 mW at 5.41 μm and 31 mW at 6.05 μm. Epitaxial-side-down heat sinking is provided by a new diamond-pressure-bond mounting technique, which requires minimal processing and maintains topside optical access     

A new cobalt salicide technology for 0.15-μm CMOS devices

A new cobalt (Co) salicide technology for sub-quarter micron CMOS transistors has been developed using high-temperature sputtering and in situ vacuum annealing. Sheet resistance of 11 Ω/□ for both gate electrode and diffusion layer was obtained with 5-nm-thick Co film. No line width dependence of sheet resistance was observed down to 0.15-μm-wide gate electrode and 0.33-μm-wide diffusion layer. The high temperature sputtering process led to the growth of epitaxial CoSi ₂ layers with high thermal stability. By using this technology 0.15 μm CMOS devices which have shallow junctions were successfully fabricated     

1.57 μm strained-layer quantum-well GaInAlAs ridge-waveguidelaser diodes with high temperature (130°C) and ultrahigh-speed (17GHz) performance

The fabrication of GaInAlAs strained-layer (SL) multiple-quantum-well (MQW) ridge-waveguide (RW) laser diodes emitting at 1.57 μm is discussed. Due to an optimized layer structure, a very high characteristic temperature of 90 K was obtained. As a consequence for episide-up mounted devices, the maximum continuous wave (CW)-operation temperature is 130°C. At room temperature, a maximum output power of 47 mW was measured for 600-μm-long lasers with one high-reflection coated facet. The low series resistance of 4 Ω (2 Ω) for 200-μm-(400-μm)-long devices yields an ultrahigh 3-dB bandwidth of 17 GHz. These static and dynamic properties also result from a high internal quantum-efficiency of 0.83 and a high differential gain of 5.5×10^-15 cm²     

LD optical switch with polarization insensitivity over a widewavelength range

A double-heterostructure (DH) laser with TM mode lasing has been achieved with a narrow active-layer width, and a laser-diode optical switch (LDSW) module with less than a 0.35-dB gain difference between the TE and TM modes over a wide wavelength range has been constructed by introducing a square bulk active layer formed by dry etching and regrowth. The polarization-insensitive width of a 0.3-μm-thick DH laser is clarified to be between 0.30 and 0.35 μm, since the 0.30- and 0.35-μm-wide DH lasers lase in the TM mode and TE mode, respectively. The polarization-insensitive width of the fabricated 0.3-μm-thick LDSW is estimated to be about 0.32 μm for the fabricated LDSW with a trapezoidal active layer by measuring the single-pass gain and the gain difference between the TE and TM modes. This must be to within 0.01 μm. A 0.35-μm-wide, 300-μm-long LDSW module has lossless gain in the wavelength range of 1.31 to 1.36 μm at 20 mA. The gain difference between the TE and TM modes is as low as 0.35 dB, The rise and fall times are 1.0 and 0.55 ns, respectively. The bulk active-layer LDSW module is promising for use as a polarization-insensitive optical-gate switch in optical information systems     

Influence of buffer layer thickness on DC performance ofGaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors grown on siliconsubstrates

The DC performance of GaAs/AlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) grown on silicon substrates with buffer layers ranging from 0 to 5 μm was investigated. Current gain, collector-emitter breakdown voltage, emitter-base and collector-base diode ideality factors, and breakdown voltages were measured as the buffer layer thickness was varied between 0 and 5 μm. The current gain steadily increases with increasing buffer layer thickness until the layer reaches 3 μm. However, the other DC parameters are relatively insensitive to the buffer layer thickness. A small-signal current gain of 60 is typically achieved for devices with 6×6-μm² emitters at a density of 6×10⁴ A/cm² when the buffer layer is ⩾3 μm     

Characteristics of Er-doped Al2O3 thin filmsdeposited by reactive co-sputtering

Er-doped Al₂O₃ thin films have been deposited by reactive co-sputtering onto thermally oxidized Si-wafers. The deposition process has been optimized with respect to the requirements originating from the application of these multilayer structures as integrated optical amplifiers for the third telecom window, i.e., the wavelength range 1.52-1.55 μm. The films obtained at a substrate temperature of only 400°C are amorphous and show a homogenous structure, without columns or grains. For slabguides, background losses smaller than 0.25 dB/cm have been obtained, even without any annealing. A relatively broad luminescence band, having an FWHM of ~55 nm around the 1.533-μm wavelength, has been measured. From gain versus pumping power curves, an upconversion coefficient lower then 20·10^-25 m³/s has been derived, being half of the values reported up to now in the literature. Simulations based on experimentally determined material parameters and assuming a channel attenuation of 0.5 dB/cm indicate, for 0.24 at.% Er channel devices with an optimal channel length of 7.7 cm, an amplification of 8 dB at 1.533 μm for a pump wavelength of 1.48 μm, and a pump power of only 8.7 mW     

A 5-μm-wide 18-cm-long low-loss YBa2Cu3O7-δ coplanar line for future multichip moduletechnology

Narrow and low-loss YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) coplanar lines, which can be used in multichip module technology for future high-density and high-speed digital circuits, have been developed. Etch-back planarization and a patterning process combining Ar-ion milling and wet-etching enabled us to form an 18-cm-long 5-μm-wide YBCO coplanar line without electrical shorts, even for the narrow spacing of 2.5 μm. The surface resistance of this line was kept at a level comparable to that of 10- or 25-μm-wide YBCO coplanar lines and also comparable to that of unpatterned films. This indicates successful fabrication of the 5-μm-wide YBCO coplanar line without notable loss increase resulting from process damage. The 5-μm-wide line showed a low-transmission loss of 0.49 dB at 10 GHz and 55 K. This level of loss is similar to that in Cu coaxial cables. No significant increase in transmission loss was observed up to an input power level of 16 mW at 10 GHz and 55 K. This input power is comparable to the power-handling capability required for transmitting high-speed digital signals through the lines with characteristic impedance of 50 Ω. These results show that the narrow 5-μm-wide YBCO coplanar line has great potential for high-density and high-speed digital circuits     

Fabrication of planar optical waveguides in LiB3O5 by 2 MeV He+ ion implantation

The fabrication of planar optical waveguides in LiB₃O ₅ is discussed. Using 2-MeV ⁴He⁺ implantation with a dose of 1.5×10¹⁶ ions/cm² at 300 K, the refractive indexes of a 0.2-μm-thick layer 5.1 μm below the crystal surface are reduced to form optical barrier guides. For this ion dose the maximum change from the bulk values of refractive index at a wavelength of 0.488 μm are 1.5%, 5.25%, and 4% for n_x, n_y, and n_z, respectively. The refractive indexes of the guiding region change by less than 0.02% from the bulk values. The dose dependence of the optical barrier height has been measured. A threshold ion dose of about 0.75×10¹⁶ ions/cm² is required to form a refractive index barrier and ion doses higher than about 2.5×10¹⁶ ions/cm². saturate the refractive index decrease. Waveguide propagation losses for annealed single energy implants of dose 1.5×10¹⁶ ions/cm² are dominated by tunneling and are estimated to be ~8.9 dB/cm for the z-cut waveguides used. Multiple energy implants broaden the optical barrier, and losses of <4 dB/cm have been observed     

Room-temperature pulsed operation of triple-quantum-well GaInNAslasers grown on misoriented GaAs substrates by MOCVD

The lasing operation of three-quantum-well GaInNAs stripe geometry lasers grown by MOCVD on 0° and 6° misoriented (100) GaAs substrates, respectively, have been demonstrated and their performance is compared for the first time. Both devices achieved room temperature, pulsed lasing operation at an emission wavelength of 1.17 μm, with a threshold current density of 667 A/cm² for lasers grown on 6° misoriented substrates, and 1 kA/cm² for lasers grown on 0° misoriented substrates. The threshold for the lasers grown on 6° misoriented substrates compares favorably with the best results for GaInNAs lasers. Lasers with narrower stripe width and a planar geometry have also been demonstrated by the use of lateral selective wet oxidation for current confinement, with a threshold current density of 800 A/cm² for 25-μm-wide devices     

A high-speed and highly uniform submicrometer-gate BPLDD GaAsMESFET for GaAs LSIs

The authors present formation conditions for ion-implanted regions of a GaAs buried p-layer lightly doped drain (BPLDD) MESFET that can improve short-channel effect, V_th uniformity, and FET operating speed, simultaneously. For 0.7-μm gates, a Mg⁺ dose of 2×10¹² cm^-2 at 300 keV and a Si⁺ dose of 2×10¹² cm^-2 at 50 keV are suitable for the p layer and n' layer, respectively. A σV _th of 7 mV is realized. Gate-edge capacitance of the 0.7-μm-gate BPLDD that consists of both overlap capacitance and fringing capacitance is successfully reduced to 0.5 fF/μm, which is about 50% of that of a non-LDD buried p-layer (BP) FET. Another parasitic capacitance due to the p-layer was found to have less effect on the speed than the gate-edge one. Consequently, the gate propagation delay time of the BPLDD can be reduced to 15 ps at power dissipation of 1 mW/gate, which is about 65% of that of a BP. Applying the 0.7-μm-gate BPLDD to 16-kb SRAMs, the authors have obtained a maximum access time of less than 5 ns with a galloping test pattern     

Low-resistance self-aligned Ti-silicide technology for sub-quartermicron CMOS devices

A low-resistance self-aligned Ti-silicide process featuring selective silicon deposition and subsequent pre-amorphization (SEDAM) is proposed and characterized for sub-quarter micron CMOS devices. 0.15-μm CMOS devices with low-resistance and uniform TiSi₂ on gate and source/drain regions were fabricated using the SEDAM process. Non-doped silicon films were selectively deposited on gate and source/drain regions to reduce suppression of silicidation due to heavily-doped As in the silicon. Silicidation was also enhanced by pre-amorphization, using ion-implantation, on the narrow gate and source/drain regions. Low-resistance and uniform TiSi₂ films were achieved on all narrow, long n⁺ and p⁺ poly-Si and diffusion layers of 0.15-μm CMOS devices. TiSi₂ films with a sheet resistance of 5 to 7 Ω/sq were stably and uniformly formed on 0.15-μm-wide n⁺ and p⁺ poly-Si. No degradation in leakage characteristics was observed in pn-junctions with TiSi₂ films. It was confirmed that, using SEDAM, excellent device characteristics were achieved for 0.15-μm NMOSFET's and PMOSFET's with self-aligned TiSi₂ films     

Long-wavelength In0.53Ga0.47As metamorphicp-i-n photodiodes on GaAs substrates

Metamorphic In_0.53Ga_0.47As p-i-n photodiodes on GaAs substrate exhibiting the lowest dark current ever reported were fabricated and characterized. Their dark current, DC and RF performances were measured and compared for devices of different sizes. Typical dark current for 15-μm-diameter devices was 600 pA under 5-V reverse bias, corresponding to a dark current density of 3.40×10^-4 A/cm². Typical responsivity measured with 1.55-μm optical radiation was 0.55 A/W corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 44%. The electrical 3 dB bandwidths of the photodiodes with diameters smaller than 20 μm were over 20 GHz     

Low-threshold-current-density vertical-cavity surface-emittingAlGaAs/GaAs diode lasers

The optimization of electrically pumped vertical-cavity surface emitters (VCSEs) with conductive semiconductor-stack rear reflectors and mirror-reflectivity products of 0.93 for minimum threshold current density, J_th, is presented. Devices of two different active layer thicknesses are fabricated: 3 μm, as for conventional devices, and 0.6 μm, which, according to theoretical calculations, provides J_th for lasers with a mirror reflectivity product in the 0.90-0.95 range. For structures of 0.16-μm thick active layers, J_th values as low as 10 kA/cm² are obtained, in good agreement with theory. Analysis shows that for active layer thicknesses ⩽1 μm, J_th reaches similar minimum values for double-heterostructure and multiquantum-well structure devices of the same active medium thickness. A brief discussion of thin active medium structures is presented     

Self-aligned bottom-gate submicrometer-channel-length a-Si-:Hthin-film transistors

Fully self-aligned bottom-gate thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated by using a back substrate exposure technique combined with a metal lift-off process are discussed. Ohmic contact to the sources and drains is accomplished by a 40-nm-thick layer of phosphorous-doped microcrystalline silicon. Devices with channel lengths ranging from 0.4 to 12 μm are processed with overlap dimensions between the gate and the source and the gate and the drain ranging from 0.0 to 1.0 μm. Analysis of the conductance data in the linear voltage regime reveals a parasitic drain-to-channel and source-to-channel resistance that is 14% of the channel resistance for a 10-μm device and 140% for a 1-μm device. Thus, increase in the device speed caused by reducing the channel length does not follow expected behavior. A similar situation exists in the nonlinear regime. The on-current of the devices starts to saturate below channel lengths of 2 μm. Current on/off ratios taken at V_d=5 V and V_G=15 V and 0 V, respectively, are approximately 1×10⁶ for the 1- and 12-μm-long devices. The on/off ratio is reduced to 1×10⁵ for the 0.4-μm device     

A selective epitaxial SiGe/Si planar photodetector for Si-basedOEIC's

A P-i-N SiGe/Si superlattice photodetector with a planar structure has been developed for Si-based opto-electronic integrated circuits. To make the planar structure, a novel SiGe/Si selective epitaxial growth technology which uses cold wall ultrahigh-vacuum/chemical vapor deposition has been newly developed. The P-i-N planar SiGe/Si photodetector has an undoped 30-Å Si_0.9Ge_0.1/320-Å Si, 30 periods, superlattice absorption layer, a 0.1-μm P-Si buffer layer, and a 0.2-μm P⁺-Si contact layer on a bonded silicon-on-insulator (η_ext). The bonded SOI is used to increase the external quantum efficiency (η_ext) of the photodetector. Moreover, a 63-μm deep/128-μm wide trench, to achieve simple and stable coupling of an optical fiber to the photodetector, is formed in the silicon chip. The P-i-N planar photodetector exhibits a high η_ext of 25-29% with a low dark current of 0.5 pA/μm² and a high-frequency photo response of 10.5 GHz at λ=0.98 μm     

Upconversion pumped thulium-doped fluoride fiber amplifier andlaser operating at 1.47 μm

A 1.064-μm band upconversion pumped Tm³⁺-doped fluoride fiber amplifier and a laser both operating at 1.47 μm are investigated in detail. The two devices are based on the ³F ₄→³H₄ transition in a trivalent thulium ion, which is a self-terminating system. When pumped at 1.064 μm, the amplifier has a gain of over 10 dB from 1.44 to 1.51 μm and a low-noise characteristic. Also, the fiber laser generates a high-output power of over 100 mW with a slope efficiency of 59% at around 1.47 μm. These levels of performance will be important for optical communication systems