Narrow sized laser diode
View Patent ↗Gallium and nitrogen containing optical devices operable as laser diodes are disclosed. The devices include a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member, which may be semipolar or non-polar. The devices include a chip formed from the gallium and nitrogen substrate member. The chip has a width and a length. The devices have a cavity oriented substantially parallel to the length of the chip, a dimension of less than 120 microns characterizing the width of the chip, and a pair of etched facets configured on the cavity of the chip. The pair of etched facets includes a first facet configured at a first end of the cavity and a second facet configured at a second end of the cavity.
1. A gallium and nitrogen containing optical device operable as a laser diode, the device comprising:
a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member;
a chip formed from the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member, the chip having a width and a length, the width of the chip being a distance between sides of the chip and the length of the chip being a distance between ends of the chip, the chip also having a p-type region and an n-side contact opposite the p-type region;
a ridge waveguide configured to emit laser light, the ridge waveguide oriented substantially parallel to the length of the chip, the ridge waveguide having a width that is less than the width of the chip, where the width of the chip is 70 microns or less;
a pair of facets configured on the ends of the chip, the pair of facets including a first facet configured at a first end of the chip and a second facet configured at a second end of the chip;
one or more wirebonding pads coupled to the n-side contact; and
a submount coupled to the chip such that the p-type region of the chip is facing the submount.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the width of the chip is less than 70 microns and greater than 20 microns.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the laser diode is configured for testing at the wafer level to characterize properties selected from threshold current density, a voltage versus current relationship, a light out versus current relationship, and a combination of any of the foregoing.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the laser diode is operable at a wavelength selected from 430 nm to 480 nm, from 480 nm to 535 nm, and from 390 nm to 430 nm.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pair of facets comprise a pair of etched facets.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member has a semipolar surface orientation selected from the (20-21), (20-2-1), (30-31), (30-3-1), and (11-22) plane orientations, or an offcut of any of the foregoing orientations.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member has a nonpolar surface orientation or an offcut thereof.
8. A gallium and nitrogen containing optical device operable as a laser diode, the device comprising:
a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member;
a chip formed from the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member, the chip having a width and a length, the width of the chip being a distance between sides of the chip and the length of the chip being a distance between ends of the chip, the chip also having a p-type region and an n-side contact opposite the p-type region;
a ridge waveguide configured to emit laser light, the ridge waveguide oriented substantially parallel to the length of the chip, the ridge waveguide having a width that is less than the width of the chip, where the width of the chip is less than 120 microns;
one or more wirebonding pads disposed on the n-side contact of the chip for coupling wires to the chip; and
a submount coupled to the chip such that the p-type region of the chip is facing the submount.
9. The device of claim 8 , wherein a pair of etched facets are configured on the ends of the chip.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the etched facets are formed by a dry etching method selected from reactive ion etching (RIE), inductively plasma coupled etching (ICP), and chemical assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE).
11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the width of the chip is less than 110 microns.
12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the width of the chip is less than 70 microns.
13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the laser diode is configured for testing at the wafer level to characterize properties selected from threshold current density, a voltage versus current relationship, a light out versus current relationship, and a combination of any of the foregoing.
14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the laser diode is operable at a wavelength from 430 nm to 480 nm.
15. The device of claim 8 , wherein the laser diode is operable at a wavelength from 480 nm to 535 nm.
16. The device of claim 8 , wherein the laser diode is operable at a wavelength from 390 nm to 430 nm.
17. The device of claim 8 , wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member has a semipolar surface orientation selected from the (20-21), (20-2-1), (30-31), (30-3-1), and (11-22) plane orientations, or an offcut of any of the foregoing orientations.
18. The device of claim 8 , wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member has a nonpolar surface orientation, or an offcut thereof.
19. A gallium and nitrogen containing optical device operable as a laser diode, the device comprising:
a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member;
a chip formed from the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member, the chip having a width and a length, the width of the chip being a distance between sides of the chip and the length of the chip being a distance between ends of the chip, the chip also having a p-type region and an n-side contact opposite the p-type region;
a ridge waveguide configured to emit laser light, the ridge waveguide oriented substantially parallel to the length of the chip, the ridge waveguide having a width that is less than the width of the chip, where the width of the chip is less than 120 microns;
a one or more wirebonding pads disposed on the n-side contact of the chip for coupling wires to the chip;
a pair of etched facets configured on the ends of the chip, the pair of etched facets including a first facet configured at a first end of the chip and a second facet configured at a second end of the chip; and
a submount coupled to the chip such that the p-type region of the chip is facing the submount.
20. A gallium and nitrogen containing optical device operable as a laser diode, the device comprising:
a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member;
a chip formed from the gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member, the chip having a width and a length, the width of the chip being a distance between sides of the chip and the length of the chip being a distance between ends of the chip, the chip also having a p-type region and an n-side contact opposite the p-type region;
a ridge waveguide configured to emit laser light, the ridge waveguide oriented substantially parallel to the length of the chip and having a width that is less than the width of the chip, where the width of the chip is less than 110 microns;
one or more wirebonding pads disposed on the n-side contact of the chip for coupling wires to the chip;
a pair of etched facets configured on the ends of the chip, the pair of etched facets including a first facet configured at a first end of the chip and a second facet configured at a second end of the chip; and
a submount coupled to the chip such that the p-type region of the chip is facing the submount and the ridge waveguide is adjacent to the submount.
21. A gallium and nitrogen containing optical device operable as a laser diode, the device comprising:
a gallium and nitrogen containing substrate member;
the gallium and nitrogen substrate containing member having a surface orientation selected from the (20-21), (20-2-1), (30-31), (30-3-1), (11-22) semipolar orientation, and m-plane nonpolar orientation, or an offcut of any of the foregoing;
a chip formed from the gallium and nitrogen substrate member, the chip having a width and a length, the width of the chip being a distance between sides of the chip and the length of the chip being a distance between ends of the chip, the chip also having a p-type region and an n-side contact opposite the p-type region;
a ridge waveguide configured to emit laser light, the ridge waveguide oriented substantially parallel to the length of the chip, the ridge waveguide having a width that is less than the width of the chip, where the width of the chip is less than 120 microns;
one or more wirebonding pads disposed on the n-side contact of the chip for coupling wires to the chip;
a pair of facets configured on the ends of the chip, the pair of facets including a first facet configured at a first end of the chip and a second facet configured at a second end of the chip; and
a submount coupled to the chip such that a p-type region of the chip is facing the submount.
22. The device of claim 5 , wherein the etched facets are formed by a dry etching method selected from reactive ion etching (RIE), inductively plasma coupled etching (ICP), and chemical assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE).
23. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pair of facets comprise a pair of cleaved facets.