Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
A semiconductor laser having a semiconductor body comprising an active laser region having a p-n junction, in which the active region is present within a resonator which is formed by two mutually parallel reflecting non-oxidized mirror faces, in which contact members are present to supply current in the forward direction to the p-n junction to generate coherent electromagnetic radiation in the active region, and in which the active region comprises end zones adjoining the mirror faces to reduce non-radiating recombination near the mirror faces, characterized in that the end zones are formed by parts of the active region which comprise implanted ions with associated crystal damage and extend from the mirror faces up to a distance which is at least equal to the diffusion length of recombining charge carriers in the end zones.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
133 words
A semiconductor laser having a semiconductor body comprising an active laser region having a p-n junction, in which the active region is present within a resonator which is formed by two mutually parallel reflecting non-oxidized mirror faces, in which contact members are present to supply current in the forward direction to the p-n junction to generate coherent electromagnetic radiation in the active region, and in which the active region comprises end zones adjoining the mirror faces to reduce non-radiating recombination near the mirror faces, characterized in that the end zones are formed by parts of the active region which comprise implanted ions with associated crystal damage and extend from the mirror faces up to a distance which is at least equal to the diffusion length of recombining charge carriers in the end zones.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
A semiconductor laser as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the implanted ions are protons.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A semiconductor laser as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the implanted ions are deuterons (D + ) or singly ionized hydrogen molecules (H 2 + ).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
A semiconductor laser as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that the end zones extend from the mirror faces up to a distance which is larger than 0.5 / um and is smaller than 5 / um.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
A semiconductor laser as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the laser is constructed from a layer structure in which the active region is strip-shaped and forms part of an active semiconductor layer extending parallel to a major surface of the semiconductor body, the p-n junction extending parallel to said active layer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
A semiconductor layer as claimed in Claim 5, characterized in that the strip-shaped active region in its direction of width is bounded laterally by-a part of an ion-implanted region which also forms the end-zones.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
142 words
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, characterized in that in a semiconductor body having a layer structure suitable for the formation of semiconductor lasers and comprising at least an active semiconductor layer extending parallel to a major surface of the body, grooves extending down to a smaller depth than the active layer are provided at the area where cleavage surfaces serving as mirror faces are to be provided, that ions are implanted in the grooves, the implanted zones with associated crystal damage extending through the active layer, and that the semiconductor wafer is then divided by breaking into separate lasers, thus forming the cleavage surfaces substantially normal to the active layer at the area of the grooves, so that the active layer of each laser obtains implanted end zones adjoining the cleavage surfaces.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in Claim 7, characterized in that the grooves are V-shaped and are provided by using a preferential etching process.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as claimed in Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the major surface has a (100) orientation, that the cleavage surfaces are (110) crystal facets, and that the groove walls are formed substantially by (111) planes.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
109 words
A method as claimed in any of the Claims 7 to 9, characterized in that after providing the grooves at the area of the strip-shaped active regions to be formed there is provided a mask in the form of wires extending transversely across the grooves and that then the said ion implantation is carried out by successive implantations, said implantations being carried out at different angles with respect to the major surface, said angles being chosen such that implanted regions overlap each other on and near the bottom of the groove but are separated from each other on and near the major surface on either side of the wires.