IP Library Granted Patent US 8,680,553
Granted Patent B2
US 8,680,553 · App. 13/129,115 · Granted Mar 25, 2014

Light-emitting device, light-receiving device and method of manufacturing the same

Inventors: Shinichi Saito (Kawasaki, JP); Masahiro Aoki (Kokubunji, JP); Nobuyuki Sugii (Tokyo, JP); Katsuya Oda (Hachioji, JP); Toshiki Sugawara (Kokubunji, JP)
Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,680,553
App. No.
13/129,115
Granted
Mar 25, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a germanium laser diode that can be easily formed on a substrate such as silicon by using a normal silicon process and can emit light efficiently. A germanium light-emitting device according to the present invention is a germanium laser diode characterized in that tensile strain is applied to single-crystal germanium serving as a light-emitting layer to be of a direct transition type, a thin semiconductor layer made of silicon, germanium or silicon-germanium is connected adjacently to both ends of the germanium light-emitting layer, the thin semiconductor layer has a certain degree of thickness capable of preventing the occurrence of quantum confinement effect, another end of the thin semiconductor layer is connected to a thick electrode doped with impurities at a high concentration, the electrode is doped to a p type and an n type, a waveguide is formed so as not to be in direct contact with the electrode, and a mirror is formed at an end of the waveguide.

Claims (28)

1. A light-emitting device, comprising: on an insulating film formed on a substrate,

a first electrode for injecting electrons;

a second electrode for injecting holes; and

a light-emitting part disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein, by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, electrons and holes are injected to the light-emitting part in a planar direction of the substrate,

the light-emitting part is a single-crystal germanium film to which tensile strain is applied by a silicon nitride film,

a waveguide is formed spatially apart from the first electrode and the second electrode in a vertical direction orthogonal to the planar direction of the substrate, and

a mirror made of a dielectric is formed at an end or inside of the waveguide.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the waveguide and the light-emitting part are each made of the single-crystal germanium film.

3. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the single-crystal germanium film has a film thickness of 10 nm or larger and 500 nm or smaller.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,

wherein a surface of the light-emitting part is covered with a first dielectric, and the waveguide is made of a second dielectric disposed adjacently to the first dielectric.

5. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the first dielectric is a silicon dioxide film or a silicon nitride film, and

the second dielectric is any one of a silicon nitride film, a polycrystalline silicon firm, a SiON film, an Al 2 O 3 film, a Ta 2 O 5 film, a HfO 2 film and a TiO 2 film.

6. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the mirror is disposed at an end of the waveguide, and the mirror is formed by cyclically disposing small dielectric pieces.

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 ,

wherein each of the small dielectric pieces forming the mirror is any one of a single-crystal silicon film, a silicon nitride film, a polycrystalline silicon film, an amorphous silicon film, a SiON film, an Al 2 O 3 film, a Ta 2 O 5 film, a HfO 2 film and a TiO 2 film.

8. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the mirror is arranged inside the waveguide, and the mirror is formed by disposing small dielectric pieces.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 8 ,

wherein each of the small dielectric pieces forming the mirror is any one of a single-crystal germanium film, a single-crystal silicon film, a silicon nitride film, a polycrystalline silicon film, an amorphous silicon film, a SiON film, an Al 2 O 3 film, a Ta 2 O 5 film, a HfO 2 film and a TiO 2 film.

10. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the silicon nitride film has an internal stress for applying tensile strain to the single-crystal germanium film, and

a lattice constant of the single-crystal germanium film is larger than a lattice constant in an equilibrium state.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 17, 2011
From: SAITO, SHINICHI; AOKI, MASAHIRO; SUGII, NOBUYUKI; ODA, KATSUYA; SUGAWARA, TOSHIKI
To: HITACHI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 026293/0522 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2008-289948 · Nov 12, 2008 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110227116A1 · Sep 22, 2011