Patent ID: 6535538
Filing Date: 2003-03-18
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
A surface emitting laser device comprising:a surface emitting laser including a substrate, a lower mirror layer, a gain medium layer, and an upper mirror layer sequentially grown on an upper surface of the substrate, a first electrode formed at a lower surface of the substrate, and a second electrode formed on the upper mirror layer and provided at a central portion thereof with an opening for exposing the central portion, the surface emitting laser serving to emit light in a growth direction of the layers in response to a drive current applied to the first and second electrodes; and a monolithically integrated monitor photodetector formed on a portion of the upper mirror layer exposed through the opening of the second electrode, the monitor photodetector serving to partially absorb the light emitted from the surface emitting laser, thereby outputting a detect signal for the light, wherein the monitor photodetector comprises a first doped semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and second doped semiconductor layer sequentially grown on the portion of the upper mirror layer exposed through the second electrode, a third electrode formed on the second doped semiconductor layer and provided at a central portion thereof with an opening for exposing the central portion of the third electrode, and lower and upper insulating layers respectively sandwiched between the first doped semiconductor layer and the intrinsic semiconductor layer and between the intrinsic semiconductor layer and the second doped semiconductor layer, each of the insulating layers having an opening at a central portion thereof and serving to remove a photocurrent resulting from a spontaneous emission light emitted from the surface emitting laser.