Vertical cavity surface emmitting lasers with transparent electrodes

Claim 1

A semiconductor vertical cavity surface emitting laser comprising a semiconductor body which comprises a plurality of layers selected from Group III-V and II-VI compound semiconductors having nominal formula GaAs, InP, InGaAs, InGaPAs, AlAs, AlGaAs, and AlGaInAs, said plurality of layers including an active region which generates optical radiation, a bottom multilayer mirror which reflects said radiation, a top multilayer mirror which partially reflects and partially transmits said radiation in a direction perpendicular to said active region, said top mirror including an ion-implanted region arranged peripherally of the layers of said top mirror and defining a window for confining passage of current and of lasing emission to an area defined by said window, a dielectric layer upon said top mirror, said dielectric layer having a window aligned with said window in said ion-implanted region, a metallic barrier layer upon said dielectric layer and contacting that surface of said top mirror layer which is exposed in said window of said dielectric mirror layer, a layer of an optically transparent semiconductor material on said metal barrier layer forming a top electrode of the laser, said optically transparent layer having conductivity ranging from 1×10 3 to 1×10 5 Ω -1 cm -1 , light transmissivity of at least 80 percent and absorption of less than 10 percent, and a bottom electrode for applying in unity with said top electrode an excitation current in direction substantially perpendicular to said active region and substantially parallel to the direction of propagation of optical radiation.