1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a multiple-wavelength semiconductor laser wherein two semiconductor lasers having different wavelengths are joined, and specifically, to a method for manufacturing a multiple-wavelength semiconductor laser that can accurately align two semiconductor lasers and can secure high reliability.
2. Background Art
Recently, optical disks including CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray disks (BDs) are extensively used as mass storage media. The oscillation wavelengths of semiconductor lasers used in these optical disk devices become shorter in the order of CDs, DVDs, and BDs depending on the storage capacities. The oscillation wavelength of the laser for CDs is 780 nm band (infrared semiconductor laser), the oscillation wavelength of the laser for DVDs is 650 nm band (red semiconductor laser), and the oscillation wavelength of the laser for BDs is 400 nm band (blue semiconductor laser). For processing information from CDs, DVDs, and BDs in an optical disk device, three beam sources: an infrared semiconductor laser, a red semiconductor laser, and a blue semiconductor laser are required.
In recent years, a two-wavelength semiconductor laser wherein an infrared semiconductor laser and a red semiconductor laser are monolithically formed in a semiconductor chip has been developed and becoming popular for downsizing and weight saving of the optical pickup device that constitutes an optical disk device. Furthermore, to correspond to BDs, a three-wavelength semiconductor laser, wherein a blue semiconductor laser and a two-wavelength semiconductor laser are combined, is being developed.
The three-wavelength semiconductor laser is manufactured by stacking and joining a two-wavelength semiconductor laser and a blue semiconductor laser (for example, refer to FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1). However, there was a problem wherein the alignment of the two-wavelength semiconductor laser and a blue semiconductor laser in joining was difficult.
To solve the problem, a method for dividing the two semiconductor lasers into chips using a cutting saw after joining them in a bar state is proposed (for example, refer to FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2). By this method, two semiconductor lasers can be aligned at high accuracy. In Patent Document 2, however, although the joining of the bar of the single wavelength semiconductor laser is described, the joining of the bar of the two-wavelength semiconductor laser is not described.
In the two-wavelength semiconductor laser, an infrared semiconductor laser and a red semiconductor laser are lined up on a substrate. Therefore, if the laser forming surface of the bar of the two-wavelength semiconductor laser is allowed to face the bar of the blue semiconductor laser, a large gap is produced in the joint of the bars. Therefore, when the chips are divided using a cutting saw as described in Patent Document 2, since a large force is applied to the floating bar, the cracking of the chip or the peeling of the solder portion occurs. Even in a method for dividing after the bar is scratched using a needle-like scriber, since a high pressure is applied to the bar, the similar problem occurs.
When a cutting saw is used, the chip must be cut while cooling the chip and the saw with water. Therefore, moisture invades in the gap in the joint between the bars after chip dividing, causing a problem wherein the dew point is not lowered after packaging. Also when a cutting saw is used, chips produced by chip dividing fly and adhere to the electrode or the end surface of the laser to produce dirt or scratches.
Therefore, since the problem as described above was caused when the method according to Patent Document 2 was used to manufacture the three-wavelength semiconductor laser according to Patent Document 1, there was a problem wherein high reliability cannot be secured.
To solve the problems as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a multiple-wavelength semiconductor laser that can accurately align two semiconductor lasers and can secure high reliability.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a multiple-wavelength semiconductor laser comprises: forming a first bar having a plurality of arrayed first semiconductor chips wherein at least two semiconductor lasers of different wavelengths are monolithically formed; forming a second bar having a plurality of arrayed second semiconductor chips wherein a semiconductor laser having a different wavelength from the semiconductor lasers of said first semiconductor chips is formed; forming a third bar by allowing a laser-forming surface of said first bar to face a back surface of said second bar, and joining respective said first semiconductor chips in said first bar to respective said second semiconductor chips in said second bar; forming scribe lines by radiating laser beams on boundaries of said first semiconductor chips and on boundaries of said second semiconductor chips, respectively and dividing said third bar along said scribe lines into each chip.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.
The red semiconductor laser 14 is an AlGaInP-based semiconductor laser. An n-type AlGaInP clad layer 20, an active layer 22 having an InGaP/AlGaInP multiple quantum well structure, and a p-type AlGaInP clad layer 24 are sequentially formed on a GaAs substrate 18. A ridge 26 is formed on the p-type AlGaInP clad layer 24. An insulating film 28 is formed on the sides of the ridge 26 and on the p-type AlGaInP clad layer 24 on the both sides of the ridge 26. A p-electrode 30 is formed on the ridge 26.
The infrared semiconductor laser 16 is an AlGaAs semiconductor laser. An n-type AlGaAs clad layer 32, an active layer 34 having an AlGaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well structure, and a p-type AlGaAs clad layer 36 are sequentially formed on the GaAs substrate 18. A ridge 38 is formed on the p-type AlGaAs clad layer 36. An insulating film 40 is formed on the sides of the ridge 38 and on the p-type AlGaAs clad layer 36 on the both sides of the ridge 38. A p-electrode 42 is formed on the ridge 38. An n-electrode 44 common to the red semiconductor laser 14 and the infrared semiconductor laser 16 is formed on the back surface of the GaAs substrate 18.
The blue semiconductor laser 12 is a gallium-nitride-based semiconductor laser. An n-type AlGaN clad layer 48, an active layer 50 having an undoped InxGa1-xN/InyGa1-yN multiple quantum well structure, and a p-type AlGaN clad layer 52 are sequentially formed on a GaN substrate 46. A ridge 54 is formed on the p-type AlGaN clad layer 52. An insulating film 56 is formed on the sides of the ridge 54 and on the p-type AlGaN clad layer 52 on the both sides of the ridge 54. A P-electrode 58 is formed on the ride 54 and an n-electrode 60 is formed on the back surface of the GaN substrate 46.
On the n-electrode 60 on the back surface of the substrate of the blue semiconductor laser 12, a first electrode 62 is directly formed on the red semiconductor laser 14 side, and a second electrode 66 is formed via an insulating layer 64 on the infrared semiconductor laser 16 side. The p-electrode 30 of the red semiconductor laser 14 is joined to the first electrode 62 via a solder 68, and the p-electrode 42 of the infrared semiconductor laser 16 is joined to the second electrode 66 via a solder 70. Contrary to this example, the first electrode 62 may be formed via the insulating layer 64 on the red semiconductor laser 14 side, and the second electrode 66 may be directly formed on the infrared semiconductor laser 16 side.
The three-wavelength semiconductor laser, wherein the blue semiconductor laser 12 is joined to the two-wavelength semiconductor laser 10, is die-bonded to a sub-mount with the p-electrode 58 side of the blue semiconductor laser 12 facing down, and is mounted to a package (not shown). The first electrode 62, the second electrode 66, and the n-electrode 44 are wire-bonded to the electrode pins of the package. The p-electrode 58 is wire-bonded to the electrode pins of the package via a metal layer on the sub-mount (not shown).
To the blue semiconductor laser 12, a driving current is supplied via the bonding wires of the p-electrode 58 and the first electrode 62. To the red semiconductor laser 14, the driving current is supplied via the bonding wires of the first electrode 62 and the n-electrode 44. To the infrared semiconductor laser 16, the driving current is supplied via the bonding wires of the second electrode 66 and the n-electrode 44.
A method for manufacturing a multiple-wavelength semiconductor laser according to the first embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, a resist is applied on the entire surface of the wafer, and a resist pattern (not shown) of a shape corresponding to the right half of the drawing is formed by lithography. The left half of the stacked n-type AlGaInP clad layer 20, the active layer 22, and the p-type AlGaInP clad layer 24 as shown in
Next, a resist is applied on the entire surface of the wafer, and a resist pattern (not shown) of a shape corresponding to the shape of the mesa portion is formed by lithography. The p-type AlGaAs clad layer 36 and the p-type AlGaInP clad layer 24 are etched by RIE using the resist pattern as a mask. Thereby, as shown in
Next, leaving the resist pattern (not shown) used as the mask, an insulating film composed of SiO2 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate by, for example, CVD, vacuum vapor deposition, or sputtering, and the insulating films on the ridges 26 and 38 are removed, or lift off, at the same time of resist removal. Thereby, as shown in
Next, after sequentially forming a Ti film and an Au film on the entire surface of the wafer by, for example, vacuum vapor deposition, resist application, lithography, and wet etching or dry etching are performed to form the p-electrode 30 of the red semiconductor laser 14 and the p-electrode 42 of the infrared semiconductor laser 16 on the laser forming surface of the two-wavelength semiconductor laser 10. Next, AuGe and Au films are sequentially formed in the back surface of the substrate by vacuum vapor deposition to form the n-electrode 44.
Through the above-described wafer processing, semiconductor chips (first semiconductor chips), wherein two-wavelength semiconductor lasers 10 having red semiconductor lasers 14 and infrared semiconductor lasers 16 having different wavelengths are formed in lines on the wafer 72, are formed. Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
First, as shown in
Next, a resist is applied on the entire surface of the wafer, and a resist pattern (not shown) of a shape corresponding to the shape of the mesa portion is formed by lithography. The p-type AlGaN clad layer 52 is etched by, for example, RIE using the resist pattern as a mask. Thereby, as shown in
Next, leaving the resist pattern (not shown) used as the mask, an insulating film composed of SiO2 is formed again on the entire surface of the substrate by, for example, CVD, vacuum vapor deposition, or sputtering, and the insulating film on the ridge 54 is removed, or lift off, at the same time of resist removal. Thereby, as shown in
Next, after sequentially forming a Pd film, a Ta film, and an Au film on the entire surface of the wafer by, for example, vacuum vapor deposition, resist application, lithography, and wet etching or dry etching are performed to form the p-electrode 58. Next, Ti and Au films are sequentially formed in the back surface of the substrate by vacuum vapor deposition to form the n-electrode 60. On the n-electrode 60 on the back surface of the substrate of the blue semiconductor laser 12, the electrically isolated first electrode 62 and second electrode 66 are formed.
Through the above-described wafer processing, semiconductor chips (second semiconductor chips), a blue semiconductor laser 12, having different wavelength from red semiconductor lasers 14 and infrared semiconductor lasers 16 are formed in lines on the wafer 76. Next, as shown in
First, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
In the first embodiment, after joining a blue semiconductor laser to a two-wavelength semiconductor laser in a bar state, they are divided into chips. Therefore, compared with conventional methods wherein a blue semiconductor laser in a chip state is joined to a two-wavelength semiconductor laser in a chip state, two semiconductor lasers can be precisely aligned. Since a large number of chips can be joined at once, the process can be simplified and productivity can be improved.
By using a laser scriber, no pressure is applied to the bar floating in the space, compared with conventional methods for dividing chips using a cutting saw or a needle-shaped scriber, which scratches the bar. Therefore, the cracking of the chip or the peeling off of the soldered portion can be prevented. Since no cutting saw is used, there is no possibility of moisture invasion into the gap in the boundaries of bars. Furthermore, since the tape is expanded in the state wherein the bars are adhered to the tape, the dispersion of chips is little and the dirt or scratches of the electrode or the end surface of the laser is few. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, high reliability can be secured.
In the second embodiment, optical system that can displace the focal point of laser beams in laser scribing is used. Other processes are the same as the process in the first embodiment. The laser scribing process in the second embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in
Next, as shown in
In the second embodiment, since the rebonding of the tape is not required unlike the first embodiment, the process can be simplified.
When the first bar 74 is joined to the second bar 78, if the pressure for bonding is adjusted only by the collet 82, the parallelism and pressure of the both ends of the first bar 74 and the second bar 78 are deviated. In the third embodiment, therefore, spacers 98 are inserted in the both ends of the first bar 74 and the second bar 78 to maintain the distance between the first bar 74 and the second bar 78 constant as shown in
If the cavity length of the two-wavelength semiconductor laser 10 is equalized to the cavity length of the blue semiconductor laser 12, wire bonding to the first electrode 62 and the second electrode 66 has to be performed in the narrow gap region between the blue semiconductor laser 12 and the two-wavelength semiconductor laser 10. In the fourth embodiment, therefore, the cavity length of the two-wavelength semiconductor laser 10 is made shorter than the cavity length of the blue semiconductor laser 12 as shown in
In the fifth embodiment, as shown in
Although an example of a three-wavelength laser of blue, red, and infrared has been shown in the embodiments described above, the present invention can also be applied to other multiple-wavelength lasers.
Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
The entire disclosure of a Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-012995, filed on Jan. 23, 2009 including specification, claims, drawings and summary, on which the Convention priority of the present application is based, are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-012995 | Jan 2009 | JP | national |