Semiconductor device having a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a protection diode integrated therein and having reduced capacitance to allow the VCSEL to achieve high operating speeds

摘要

A semiconductor device is provided that has a VCSEL and a protection diode integrated therein and that has an additional intrinsic layer. The inclusion of the additional intrinsic layer increases the width of the depletion region of the protection diode, which reduces the amount of capacitance that is introduced by the protection diode. Reducing the amount of capacitance that is introduced by the protection diode allows the VCSEL to operate at higher speeds.