Title :
An AlGaAs laser with high-quality dry etched mirrors fabricated using an ultrahigh vacuum in situ dry etching and deposition processing system
Author :
Uchida, Mamoru ; Ishikawa, Shin ; Takado, Norikazu ; Asakawa, Kiyoshi
Author_Institution :
NEC Corp., Kawasaki, Japan
fDate :
11/1/1988 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Highly reliable AlGaAs lasers with dry etched mirrors have been successfully fabricated with an ultrahigh-vacuum in situ processing system, equipped with reactive ion-beam etching (RIBE) and dielectric film deposition chambers. Etched mirror surfaces are protected against air-exposure contamination and nonvolatile-reaction-products adsorption with in situ Al2O3 passivation subsequent to the CI2 RIBE mirror formation. Ion-bombardment-induced damage is repaired by thermal annealing. The annealing effect is enhanced by a contamination-free interface between the etched mirror surface and Al 2O3 passivation film. The lasers exhibit an increase in catastrophic optical damage (COD) level and long-life operation. Their COD levels are twice as high as that for as-etched lasers and are almost the same as those for conventional cleaved lasers
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; aluminium compounds; annealing; gallium arsenide; integrated optics; mirrors; semiconductor junction lasers; sputter etching; Al2O3 passivation; AlGaAs laser; CI2; III-V semiconductors; catastrophic optical damage level; deposition processing; dielectric film deposition chambers; dry etching; high-quality dry etched mirrors; ion-bombardment-induced damage; reactive ion-beam etching; thermal annealing; ultrahigh vacuum; Dry etching; Gallium arsenide; Ion beams; Laser theory; Mirrors; Optical films; Passivation; Pump lasers; Surface contamination; Vacuum systems;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
