Patent ID: 8815617
Filing Date: 2014-08-26
Classification: H01L,H01S

Abstract:
1. In a manufacturing process including processing epitaxial structures for optical semiconductor devices, a method of forming an optical semiconductor device, the method comprising: forming a epitaxial structure on a substrate, the epitaxial structure having a bottom mirror, a lower n-type conduction region above the bottom mirror, a quantum well region above the lower n-type conduction region, an oxidizing layer above the quantum well region, and a top p-type conduction region above the oxidation layer; forming a thermal conduction layer above the oxidizing layer, the thermal conduction layer having a sufficient amount of aluminum that, absent passivation, is subject to oxidation; forming a top mirror above the thermal conduction layer, the top mirror including mirror periods; depositing a plasma oxide on the top mirror over a portion of the epitaxial structure to be formed into an aperture; etching the top mirror and thermal conduction layer above the oxidizing layer without etching the oxidizing layer so as to expose sides of the top mirror and the thermal conduction layer; depositing a passivation layer of a protective oxide or silicon nitride on the plasma oxide and around the sides of the top mirror and the thermal conduction layer above the oxidizing layer; etching past at least a portion of the oxidizing layer; oxidizing a portion of the oxidizing layer to form the aperture in the oxidizing layer; and forming a metal p-type intracavity contact on the passivation layer so as to be in contact with the top p-type conduction region and to retain the passivation layer of protective oxide or silicon nitride around the sides of the top mirror and the thermal conduction layer above the oxidizing layer under the p-type intracavity contact.