IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,531,393
Granted Patent B2
US 12,531,393 · App. 17/961,079 · Granted Jan 20, 2026

Porous distributed Bragg reflector apparatuses, systems, and methods

Inventor: Matthew Geen (Cardiff, GB)
Assignee: IQE plc
H01S5/18361H01S5/125H01S5/18327H01S5/18341H01S5/187
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,531,393
App. No.
17/961,079
Granted
Jan 20, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A layered structure includes a first layer being a single material and a cavity coupled to the first layer. The first layer includes a porous region to form a first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The porous region includes alternating first porous and second porous sublayers of the single material to form the first DBR. The cavity includes an active region to generate radiation, detect radiation, or both. Advantageously, the layered structure and method of forming the layered structure improves the speed of manufacturing DBRs, reduces strain in the layered structure, reduces the size of the layered structure, and increases throughput.

Claims (18)

1 . A method of forming a layered structure, the method comprising:

forming a layer over a monolithic substrate, the monolithic substrate being a single material, wherein the layer is coupled to the monolithic substrate, the layer comprising an active region to generate radiation or detect radiation; and thereafter

porosifying the monolithic substrate to form a porous region to form a first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), the porous region comprising alternating first porous and second porous sublayers of the single material to form the first DBR,

wherein the alternating first porous and second porous sublayers have different porosities.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the porosifying the monolithic substrate comprises a porosification rate of at least 0.1 μm/min.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the porosification rate is at least 1 μm/min.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a second layer forming a second DBR, wherein the monolithic substrate contacts a first side of the layer and the second layer contacts a second side of the layer.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second layer is a second single material, and

further comprising porosifying the second layer to form a second porous region to form the second DBR, the second porous region comprising alternating first porous and second porous sublayers of the second single material to form the second DBR.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second layer has substantially no lattice mismatch.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein a lattice mismatch between the alternating first porous and second porous sublayers of the second layer is less than 0.1%.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming one or more embedded contacts within the layer to apply current to the active region.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the monolithic substrate has substantially no lattice mismatch.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a lattice mismatch between the alternating first porous and second porous sublayers is less than 0.1%.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the alternating first porous and second porous sublayers comprise alternating porous and low porosity sublayers.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the single material of the monolithic substrate is a dielectric.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the single material of the monolithic substrate is silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), silicon-germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), gallium phosphide (GaP), gallium antimonide (GaSb), indium phosphide (InP), indium antimonide (InSb), a Group III-V semiconductor, or sapphire.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the layered structure forms a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a light-emitting diode (LED), a resonant cavity LED, an optical detector, a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a wireless transceiver, or a combination thereof.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: GEEN, MATTHEW
To: IQE PLC
Reel/Frame 061346/0909 →
Priority Claims (1)
GB 2114924 · Oct 19, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230118828A1 · Apr 20, 2023
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