US4995049A — Optoelectronic integrated circuit

Claim 1

Independent Claim 198 words

An optoelectronic integrated circuit comprising: a body of a group III-V semiconductor material having an active layer extending therethrough; a first insulating layer sandwiched between the body and a second insulator or semiconductor layer extending parallel to the active layer; a laser diode, which is adapted to generate light in the active layer during operation thereof, formed in a first section of the circuit which comprises a first portion of the body and first portions of the first and second layers; a photodiode, which is adapted to receive at least some of the light generated by the laser diode and to generate electron-hole pairs, formed in a second section of the circuit which comprises a second portion of the body and second portions of the first and second layers; the first and second sections of the circuit being electrically isolated from each other; an electrical device being formed in a portion of the second layer in a third section of the circuit which comprises a third portion of the body and third portions of the first and second layers; and at least one electrical insulation region extending through a portion of the body including through the active layer.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 198 words

An optoelectronic integrated circuit comprising: a body of a group III-V semiconductor material having an active layer extending therethrough; a first insulating layer sandwiched between the body and a second insulator or semiconductor layer extending parallel to the active layer; a laser diode, which is adapted to generate light in the active layer during operation thereof, formed in a first section of the circuit which comprises a first portion of the body and first portions of the first and second layers; a photodiode, which is adapted to receive at least some of the light generated by the laser diode and to generate electron-hole pairs, formed in a second section of the circuit which comprises a second portion of the body and second portions of the first and second layers; the first and second sections of the circuit being electrically isolated from each other; an electrical device being formed in a portion of the second layer in a third section of the circuit which comprises a third portion of the body and third portions of the first and second layers; and at least one electrical insulation region extending through a portion of the body including through the active layer.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 22 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 1 in which the insulation region is a region in which the semiconductor material is disordered.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 41 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 2 in which the insulation region is at least partially transparent to light so as to permit at least some of the light generated by the laser during operation thereof to pass into the photodiode.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 23 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 3 in which the body further comprises separate cladding layers on each side of the active layer.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 28 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 4 wherein each of the cladding layers is formed of alternating layers of gallium arsenide and aluminum arsenide or aluminum gallium arsenide.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 18 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 4 in which the active layer is a multiple quantum well region.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 32 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 6 in which the active layer and cladding layers extend across the first, second and third sections and form both the laser diode and the photodiode.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 48 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 7 wherein the first layer is undoped aluiminum gallium arsenide and the second layer is undoped gallium arsenide with the impurity concentration of the first layer being about an order of magnitude or less than the impurity concentration of the second layer.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 17 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 8 in which the electrical device is a field effect transistor.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 53 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 9 in which the field effect transistor comprises a channel, source and drain regions formed in the second layer with a conductive gate electrode on a surface of the second layer and lying over the channel region and making a Schottky junction contact with the channel region.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 14 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 10 further comprises a second field effect transistor.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 17 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 11 in which one of the transistors is an n-channel transistor.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 17 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 11 in which one of the transistors is a p-channel transistor.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 14 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 13 further comprising electrical devices other than transistors.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 48 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the body further comprises a trench extending into the body and across the active layer, an electrically insulating material covers the surface of the trench, a semiconductor material fills the trench and a photodiode is formed in the semiconductor material.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 57 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 15 wherein the electrically insulating material comprises alternating layers of a first material which can be epitaxially deposited on the material of the body and has a low index of refraction, and a second material which can be epitaxially deposited on the first material and has a high index of refraction.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 24 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 16 in which the first material is calcium strontium fluoride and the second material is aluminum gallium arsenide.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 43 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 17 wherein the photodiode comprises a first metal contact on the semiconductor material in the trench and having a Schottky junction contact therewith and two second metal contacts on the semiconductor material and having ohmic contacts therewith.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 240 words

An optoelectronic integrated circuit comprising: a substrate of a semiconductor material having a surface; a substantially rectangular body of a group III-V semiconductor material on said substrate surface, said body having a pair of opposed end surfaces; an active layer in and extending across said body between said end surfaces; a first layer, which has an impurity concentration of about 10 10 atoms/cm 3 or less extending parallel to the active layer and, being sandwiched between the body and a second layer which has an impurity concentration of about 10 11 atoms/cm 3 or greater; a laser diode, which is adapted to generate light in the active layer during operation thereof, being formed in a first section of the circuit which comprises a first portion of the body and first portions of the first and second layers; a photodiode, which is adapted to receive at least some of the light generated by the laser diode during operation thereof and to generate electron-hole pairs, being formed in a second section of the circuit which comprises a second portion of the body and second portions of the first and second layers; the first and second sections of the circuit being electrically isolated from each other; and an electrical device being formed in a portion of the second layer in a third section of the circuit which comprises a third portion of the body and third portions of the first and second layers.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 240 words

An optoelectronic integrated circuit comprising: a substrate of a semiconductor material having a surface; a substantially rectangular body of a group III-V semiconductor material on said substrate surface, said body having a pair of opposed end surfaces; an active layer in and extending across said body between said end surfaces; a first layer, which has an impurity concentration of about 10 10 atoms/cm 3 or less extending parallel to the active layer and, being sandwiched between the body and a second layer which has an impurity concentration of about 10 11 atoms/cm 3 or greater; a laser diode, which is adapted to generate light in the active layer during operation thereof, being formed in a first section of the circuit which comprises a first portion of the body and first portions of the first and second layers; a photodiode, which is adapted to receive at least some of the light generated by the laser diode during operation thereof and to generate electron-hole pairs, being formed in a second section of the circuit which comprises a second portion of the body and second portions of the first and second layers; the first and second sections of the circuit being electrically isolated from each other; and an electrical device being formed in a portion of the second layer in a third section of the circuit which comprises a third portion of the body and third portions of the first and second layers.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 34 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 19 in which the body further comprises a separate cladding layer on each side of the active layer with the active region being a multiple quantum well region.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 28 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 20 wherein each of the cladding layers is formed of alternating layers of gallium arsenide and aluminum arsenide or aluminum gallium arsenide.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 59 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 21 wherein the first and second sections are electrically isolated from each other by a disordered region of the material of the body which is electrically insulating but at least partially optically transparent so as to allow at least some of the light generated by the laser diode to pass into the photodiode.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 33 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 22 in which the isolation region divides the body into at least the first, second and third sections and the electrical device is a field effect transistor.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 50 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 23 in which the first layer is undoped aluminum gallium arsenide and and the second layer is undoped gallium arsenide with the impurity concentration of the first layer being about an order of magnitude or lower below the impurity concentration of the second layer.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 53 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 24 in which the field effect transistor comprises a channel region and drain and source regions which are all within the second layer and further comprises a gate electrode lying over the channel region of the second layer and in Schottky junction contact with the channel region.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 18 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 25 further comprising a mirror on one end surface of the body.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 24 words

The optoelectronic integrated circuit of claim 26 further comprising conductors electrically coupling the laser diode, photodiode and field effect transistor in a desired circuit.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1994-02-18	1994-08-20	1995-02-19	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1998-02-18	1998-08-20	1999-02-19	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2002-02-18	2002-08-20	2003-02-19	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Optoelectronic integrated circuit

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