Electrical barrier structure for semiconductor device doped with

Details Electrical barrier structure for semiconductor device doped with Electrical barrier structure for semiconductor device doped with

1996-01-29

1998-11-17

Tran, Minh-Loan

Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode

Incoherent light emitter structure

With particular dopant material

257103, 257 94, 372 46, H01L 3300

Patent

active

058380256

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor devices and especially to laser structures which structures include barrier regions to regulate the flow of electric current in order to enhance the performance of the device.
The invention includes purely electronic devices, which utilise a barrier layer in order to preferentially channel current through an active region. However, the preferred devices are laser devices in which the barrier layers modify the flow of current in order to improve the efficiency, eg. the efficiency of conversion of electric power into radiated power. The barrier has a secondary effect in that the laser device is able to operate at higher rates of modulation.
The laser devices mentioned above can be utilised to carry out a variety of different telecommunications and signalling functions.
For example, the laser device can be utilised to generate optical signals. For this application, the laser device needs to be associated with a reflective or resonating structure which returns photons into the active region in order to sustain the lasing process. Resonating systems which are highly wavelength selective are particularly appropriate since they narrow the bandwidth of the optical signals which are generated. External resonating systems may be utilised or the resonating system may be incorporated into the lasing structure, eg. as in a distributed feedback laser. Cleaved facets, as in Fabry-Perot lasers may also be used for feedback.
The laser device may also be utilised for other signalling and telecommunication functions, e.g. optical amplifiers and optical detectors. In devices of this nature reflections are undesirable since they tend to produce noise. Therefore, it is appropriate to provide the lasing device with anti-reflection coatings in order to reduce, and ideally to eliminate, reflections.
2. Description of Related Art
From the above description, it will be recognised that there are a wide variety of electronic and opto-electronic semiconductor devices which require barrier layers to control the flow of current, (e.g. as described in 3rd International Conference on Indium Phosphide & Related Materials, Jowett et al "The Growth of MQW Planar Buried Heterostructure Lasers with Semi-Insulating Blocking Layers by OMVPE"; April 1991 pp 208-211). In particular, it is necessary to provide barrier layers in semiconductor devices wherein the semiconductors contain at least one of indium, gallium and aluminium and at least one of phosphorous and arsenic. In addition to the five major elements just mentioned the semiconductors also contain small quantities of dopants in order to confer particular electrical properties, e.g. p-type conduction or n-type conduction. Semiconductor structures wherein the various layers contain at least one of the elements indium, gallium and aluminium and at least one of the elements arsenic and phosphorus (together with dopants needed to provide the appropriate electrical function) are conveniently called III/V-devices.
The device structures usually include localised p
-junctions where n-type regions contact p-type regions and, in order to encourage flow through a localised junction it is appropriate to provide an electrical barrier elsewhere. This invention relates to the electrical barrier.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been recognised that III/V semiconductor materials can be doped to trap either holes or electrons. For example, indium phosphide doped with chromium and/or titanium traps holes whereas indium phosphide doped with iron traps electrons. In such doped semiconductors that part of the conduction which depends on the trapped species is low but their performance as a barrier is disappointing, e.g. they permit more current flow than is desirable.
This invention is based on the discovery that the barrier properties of trapping III/V semiconductor regions are substantially improved when said region is located between and in contact with two III/V semiconductor regions each of the opposite type t

REFERENCES:
patent: 4947400 (1990-08-01), Dutta
patent: 5048038 (1991-09-01), Brennan et al.
3.sup.rd International Conference on Indium Phosphide and Related Materials, 8-11 Apr. 1991, Cardiff, Wales, UK, pp. 208-211, J.M. Jowett et al, "The growth of MQW planar buried heterostructure lasers with semi-insulating blocking layers by OMVPE".
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 16, No. 224 (E-1206) 25 May 1992 & JP A 04 038 880, 10 Feb. 1992, Toshihiro et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 11, No. 127, (E-501) (2574) 21 Apr. 1987 & JP A 61 271 886, 2 Dec. 1986, Yoshinori et al.
Electronics Letters, vol. 25, No. 15, 20 Jul. 1989, Stevenage GB, pp. 998-990, Y. Sakakibara et al, "Very narrow spectral lindwidth of GaInAs MQW-DFB-PPIBH laser diodes".

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