Isolated modulator electrodes for low power consumption

1. A light-emitting device, comprising:

a substrate;

a lower contact layer on or over the substrate, the lower contact layer comprising a first lower contact in a first region of the substrate and a plurality of second lower contacts in a second region of the substrate;

a plurality of light-emitting thin film devices on or over the first lower contact and electrically contacting the first lower contact in the first region of the substrate;

a plurality of light-modulating thin film devices on or over the plurality of second lower contacts in the second region of the substrate, wherein each of the light-modulating thin film devices electrically contacts a unique one of the second lower contacts;

a plurality of first upper contacts on or over the plurality of light-emitting thin film devices, wherein each of the first upper contacts electrically contacts a unique one of the light-emitting thin film devices;

a plurality of second upper contacts on or over the plurality of light-modulating thin film devices, wherein each of the second upper contacts electrically contacts a unique one of the light-modulating thin film devices; and

an isolation region between the first and second regions of the substrate, electrically separating the plurality of first upper contacts and the plurality of second upper contacts.

2. The light-emitting device of claim 1 , wherein each of the light emitting thin film devices comprises:

a first N-layer on or over the substrate;

a first quantum well layer on or over the first N-layer; and

a first P-layer on or over the first quantum well layer.

3. The light-emitting device of claim 2 , wherein each of the light-modulating thin film devices comprises:

a second N-layer on or over the substrate;

a second quantum well layer on or over the second N-layer; and

a second P-layer on or over the second quantum well layer.

4. The light-emitting device of claim 3 , wherein the second quantum well layer differs from the first quantum well layer.

5. The light-emitting device of claim 3 , wherein each of the first and second first N-layers and the first and second P-layers comprise a III-V type semiconductor.

6. The light-emitting device of claim 1 , further comprising an intrinsic layer on or over the substrate, wherein the lower contact layer is on the intrinsic layer.

7. The light-emitting device of claim 1 , further comprising an etch stop layer on or over the lower contact layer.

8. The light-emitting device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first lower contact, the plurality of second lower contacts, the plurality of first upper contacts and the plurality of second upper contacts comprise a conductive material.

9. The light-emitting device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of waveguides on or over a third region of the substrate.

10. The light-emitting device of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of waveguides comprises (i) a first intrinsic layer, (ii) a waveguide layer on or over the first intrinsic layer, and (iii) a second intrinsic layer on or over the waveguide layer.

11. The light-emitting device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a semi-insulating substrate.

12. A method of making a multichannel light-emitting device, comprising:

forming a lower contact layer on a substrate;

patterning the lower contact layer to form a first lower contact in a first region of the substrate and a plurality of second lower contacts in a second region of the substrate;

forming a first thin film PN structure on the first lower contact and the plurality of second lower contacts and electrically contacting the first lower contact;

forming a first upper contact layer on the first thin film PN structure;

removing the first thin film PN structure and the first upper contact layer in the second region;

forming a second thin film PN structure and a second upper contact layer in the second region; and

forming an isolation region between the first and second regions, electrically separating the first upper contact layer and the second upper contact layer and thereby forming a plurality of light-emitting devices and a plurality of first upper contacts in the first region and a plurality of light-modulating devices and a plurality of second upper contacts in the second region, wherein each of the plurality of first upper contacts electrically contacts a unique one of the light-emitting devices, each of a plurality of the second upper contacts electrically contacts a unique one of the light-modulating devices, and each of the light-modulating devices electrically contacts a unique one of the second lower contacts.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, prior to forming the lower contact layer, forming an intrinsic layer on the substrate.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the first thin film PN structure comprises:

forming a first N-layer on or over the substrate;

forming a first quantum well layer on or over the first N-layer; and

forming a first P-layer on or over the first quantum well layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein forming the second thin film PN structure comprises:

forming a second N-layer in the second region;

forming a second quantum well layer on or over the second N-layer; and

forming a second P-layer on or over the second quantum well layer.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second N-layer, the second quantum well layer, and the second P-layer are formed by selective epitaxy.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first quantum well layer and the second quantum well layer comprise different materials.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second N-layers and the first and second P-layers comprise a III-V type semiconductor.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the lower contact layer, the first N-layer, the first quantum well layer, the first P-layer and the first upper contact layer are formed by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

20. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, prior to forming the first thin film PN structure, forming an etch stop layer on or over the first lower contact and the plurality of second lower contacts.

21. The method of claim 12 , wherein forming the isolation region comprises removing a portion of the first upper contact layer and a portion of the second upper contact layer at a boundary between the first upper contact layer and second upper contact layer.

22. The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the first upper contact layer and the second upper contact layer comprise a conductive material.

23. The method of claim 12 , further comprising removing the second thin film PN structure and the second upper contact layer in a third region of the substrate, and forming a waveguide in the third region.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein forming the waveguide comprises forming a first intrinsic layer, forming a waveguide layer on the first intrinsic layer, and forming a second intrinsic layer on the waveguide layer.

25. A multi-channel light-emitting device, comprising:

a substrate;

a lower contact layer on or over the substrate, the lower contact layer comprising a first lower contact in a first region of the light-emitting device and a plurality of second lower contacts in a second region of the light-emitting device;

a plurality of laser diodes on or over the first lower contact in the first region and electrically contacting the first lower contact;

a plurality of first upper contacts in the first region, wherein each of the plurality of first upper contacts electrically contacts a unique one of the plurality of laser diodes;

a plurality of modulators on or over the plurality of second lower contacts in the second region and electrically contacting a unique one of the second lower contacts, wherein each of the plurality of modulators is configured to modulate light from a corresponding one of the plurality of laser diodes;

a plurality of second upper contacts in the second region, wherein each of the plurality of second upper contacts electrically contacts electrically contacts a unique one of the modulators;

a plurality of waveguides on or over a third region of the light-emitting device, wherein each of the plurality of waveguides is configured to direct light from a corresponding one of the plurality of modulators towards a target; and

a wave combiner configured to receive light from each of the plurality of waveguides.

26. The multi-channel light-emitting device of claim 25 , wherein each of the plurality of modulators comprises an electro-absorption modulator.

27. The multi-channel light-emitting device of claim 26 , wherein each of the laser diodes comprises a first N-layer on or over the substrate, a first quantum well layer on or over the first N-layer, and a first P-layer on or over the first quantum well layer; and each of the electro-absorption modulators comprises a second N-layer on or over the substrate, a second quantum well layer on or over the second N-layer, and a second P-layer on or over the second quantum well layer, the second quantum well layer differing from the first quantum well layer.