Selectively formed AlAs/InP current confining tunnel junction for GaInAsP/InP surface emitting lasers

We propose a novel current injection and confinement structure which can be fabricated by thermal annealing of a metal electrode to selectively destroy an AlAs/InP tunnel junction. The destroyed tunnel junction becomes a high-resistance isolation layer and the hole current can be supplied through a preserved tunnel junction window. We confirmed its current blocking and lateral confinement effect from the near field pattern of fabricated GaInAsP/InP stripe lasers. The secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurement showed that this current confinement structure was formed by migration of electrode metal into the tunnel junction. The proposed scheme is being applied to the lateral current injection structure in long-wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs)