A structure and method of formation of a buried heterostructure laser die with alignment aids wherein the alignment aids include lateral and vertical structures formed on the die. Lateral alignment aids are formed using a same mask layer as the ridge structure of the laser and provide fiducials that are formed in reference to the ridge structure. Vertical alignment aids, and vertical protrusions of the lateral alignment aids are formed using etch stop layers positioned in the buried heterostructure laser layer structure.

A laser structure may include a substrate, an active region arranged on the substrate, and a waveguide arranged on the active region. The waveguide may include a first surface and a second surface that join to form a first angle relative to the active region. A material may be deposited on the first surface and the second surface of the waveguide.

In an embodiment, the gain-guided semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor layer sequence and electrical contact pads. The semiconductor layer sequence includes an active zone for radiation generation, a waveguide layer, and a cladding layer. The semiconductor layer sequence further includes a current diaphragm layer which is electrically conductive along a resonator axis (R) in a central region and electrically insulating in adjoining edge regions. Transverse to the resonator axis (R), the central region includes a width of at least 10 μm and the edge regions includes at least a minimum width. The minimum width is 3 μm or more. Seen in plan view, the semiconductor layer sequence as well as at least one of the contact pads on the semiconductor layer sequence are continuous components extending in the central region as well as on both sides at least up to the minimum width in the direction transverse to the resonator axis adjoining the central region and beyond the central region.

A semiconductor laser according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a semiconductor stack section. The semiconductor stack section includes a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type, in which the second semiconductor layer is stacked on the first semiconductor layer and includes a ridge having a band shape, and an active layer. The semiconductor stack section further has an impurity region that is at least a portion of a region not facing the ridge and that is located at a position deeper than at least the active layer, in which the impurity region has an impurity concentration of the second conductivity type higher than an impurity concentration of the second conductivity type in a region, of the second semiconductor layer, facing the ridge.

The upper surface of the semiconductor substrate has a slope descending from the projection in the second direction at an angle of 0-12° to a horizontal plane. The mesa stripe structure has an inclined surface with a slope ascending from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate at an angle of 45-55° to the horizontal plane, the mesa stripe structure having an upright surface rising from the inclined surface at an angle of 85-95° to the horizontal plane. The buried layer is made from semiconductor with ruthenium doped therein and is in contact with the inclined surface and the upright surface. The inclined surface is as high as 80% or less of height from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate to a lower surface of the quantum well layer and is as high as 0.3 μm or more.

An optical semiconductor device of the present disclosure comprises: a ridge structure formed on a first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate; a buried layer buried on both side surfaces of the ridge structure; a second-conductivity-type second cladding layer and a second-conductivity-type contact layer laminated on the top of the ridge structure and the surface of the buried layer; a stripe-shaped mesa structure formed of a mesa reaching from the second-conductivity-type contact layer to the first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate; a heat dissipation layer formed on the surface of the second-conductivity-type contact layer; a mesa protective film covering both side surfaces of the mesa structure and both end portions of the surface of the second-conductivity-type contact layer; and a second-conductivity-type-side electrode electrically connected to the second-conductivity-type contact layer.

There is provided a configuration which includes: a burying layer which has a current narrowing window where portions protruding onto a top part of a ridge stripe are opposed to each other with an interval therebetween narrower than a width of the top part; and a diffraction grating in which a λ/4 phase shifter is placed at an intermediate portion in a light traveling direction; wherein a sectional shape of the current narrowing window varies depending on a position in the light traveling direction so that, at a region where the λ/4 phase shifter is placed, a resistance of a current path from a second cladding layer to a first cladding layer through the current narrowing window is minimum.

There is provided a configuration which includes: a burying layer which has a current narrowing window where portions protruding onto a top part of a ridge stripe are opposed to each other with an interval therebetween narrower than a width of the top part; and a diffraction grating in which a λ/4 phase shifter is placed at an intermediate portion in a light traveling direction; wherein a sectional shape of the current narrowing window varies depending on a position in the light traveling direction so that, at a region where the λ/4 phase shifter is placed, a resistance of a current path from a second cladding layer to a first cladding layer through the current narrowing window is minimum.

The present invention relates to a diode laser with a current block and, in particular, to a diode laser with a modified “p-n-p” or “n-p-n” structure as a current block for reducing the tunneling probability. A diode laser according to the invention comprises an active layer and a layered current block formed outside the active layer, wherein the current block is made of a material doped in opposition to its surroundings for a spatially selective current injection of the active layer between an n-substrate and a p-contact; wherein the current block is separated from adjacent layers via an intrinsic outer layer.

An optical semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor multilayer which is formed on the substrate, and includes an optical functional layer, an insulating film formed on the semiconductor multilayer, and an electrode formed on a part of the insulating film. The insulating film covers the semiconductor multilayer except for a region in which the semiconductor multilayer and the electrode are electrically connected to each other. At least a part of a region of the insulating film that is overlapped with the electrode is thinner than a region of the insulating film that is not overlapped with the electrode.