Controllable selective oxidation on layer in transverse plane of vertical cavity surface emitting laser involves selective ion implantation into transversely spaced regions of layer to change oxidizable material concentration in the regions

摘要

Control of oxidation of a layer containing oxidizable material extending in a transverse plane in a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) involves selectively implanting ions into transversely spaced regions of the layer to change oxidizable material concentration in the regions, and oxidizing the layer to produce different degrees of oxidation in the implanted and non-implanted regions. The layer containing oxidizable material is made of AlAs or AlGaAs, where Al constitutes the oxidizable material. The ions are preferably Ga ions or oxygen ions. Ion implantation is carried out using a mask and is followed by heating. The implantation dose for the transversely spaced regions can be varied across the layer, and the size of the regions can vary across the layer. An independent claim is given for a vertical cavity surface emitting laser containing at least one oxidation layer containing an oxidized material divided into a number of transversely spaced regions implanted with ions, the degree of oxidation varying in a transverse direction between the implanted and non-implanted regions in the layer.