Patent ID: 7691655
Filing Date: 2010-04-06
Classification: B82Y,H01L,H01S

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor optical device comprising: growing an epitaxial structure including a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, an active layer, and a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, opposite the first conductivity type, wherein the active layer, which can emit light from a light-emitting region of the active layer, is a III-V semiconductor material including a group V element; forming an insulating layer, which can prevent the group V element from escaping from the active layer during a heat treatment, on the second cladding layer; before heat treatment, irradiating the epitaxial structure with light having higher energy than the energy bandgap of the active layer and measuring peak wavelength of photoluminescence radiated by the light-emitting region of the active layer of the epitaxial structure; heat treating the epitaxial structure at a temperature of at least 800 degrees C.; after the heat treatment, irradiating the epitaxial structure with light having higher energy than the energy bandgap of the active layer and measuring peak wavelength of photoluminescence radiated by the light-emitting region of the active layer of the epitaxial structure; comparing the peak wavelength measured after the heat treatment to the peak wavelength measured before the heat treatment to determine whether the peak wavelength after the heat treatment is shorter than the peak wavelength before the heat treatment; removing the insulating layer; and after removing the insulating layer, growing a third cladding layer of the second conductivity type on the second cladding layer, growing a contact layer on the third cladding layer, forming an etching mask on the contact layer, and removing parts of the contact layer and the second and third cladding layers to form a ridge.