Semiconductor Laser Device and a Method for Manufacturing a Semiconductor Laser Device

1 . A semiconductor laser device formed on a semiconductor substrate, the device comprising:

a passivation layer arranged on an upper surface of the device structure for resisting moisture ingress,

wherein the passivation layer comprises an inner layer deposited on the upper surface of the device by atomic layer deposition and an outer layer deposited on the inner layer, and comprising a material that is inert in the presence of water.

2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the inner layer of the passivation layer comprises aluminum oxide.

3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer layer of the passivation layer is deposited by chemical vapour deposition.

4 . The device according to claim 3 , wherein the chemical vapour deposition is plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition.

5 . The device according to claim 3 , wherein the outer layer comprises one of silicon oxynitride, silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer layer of the passivation layer has been deposited by atomic layer deposition.

7 . The device according to claim 6 , wherein the outer layer of the passivation layer comprises silicon dioxide.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is less than the thickness of the outer layer of the passivation layer.

9 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 5 nm to 150 nm.

10 . The device according to claim 9 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 5 nm to 15 nm.

11 . The device according to claim 9 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 40 nm to 60 nm.

12 . The device according to claim 9 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 90 nm to 110 nm.

13 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 3% to 7% of the total passivation layer thickness.

14 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 20% to 30% of the total passivation layer thickness.

15 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the inner layer of the passivation layer is in the range from 40% to 60% of the total passivation layer thickness.

16 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the total thickness of the passivation layer in a region of an emission window of the device is half the wavelength of the light emitted from the device in use.

17 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the total thickness of the passivation layer is in the range from 150 nm to 250 nm.

18 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser device, VCSEL.

19 . A VCSEL device according to claim 18 , further comprising:

a VCSEL structure comprising doped regions of the semiconductor material forming a resonant cavity disposed between first and second semiconductor mirrors;

a mesa formed by one or more oxidation trenches etched at least partially into the second mirror, wherein the upper surface of the VCSEL structure comprises the base of the at least one of the one or more oxidation trenches and the surface of the mesa; and

a p-contact deposited on the passivation layer and in contact with the surface of the mesa.

20 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is an edge emitting laser device.

21 . A method for manufacturing a semiconductor laser device formed on a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:

depositing an inner layer of a passivation layer on an upper surface of the device by atomic layer deposition, and depositing an outer layer of the passivation layer on the inner layer, wherein the outer layer comprises material that is inert in the presence of water.