Native oxidation of selectively disordered aluminum gallium arsenide quantum well heterostructures: Deep oxide structures for high performance lasers and waveguides

Data are presented showing that "deep," device-quality native oxide structures can be formed in selected areas in {dollar}rm Alsb{lcub}x{rcub}Gasb{lcub}1-x{rcub}{dollar}As-GaAs quantum well heterostructure (QWH) crystals. The deep oxides are formed using a combination of improved area-selective impurity-induced layer disordering (IILD) and water vapor oxidation at an elevated temperature (525{dollar}spcirc{dollar}C). The resulting oxide extends from the QWH crystal surface into the lower confining layers, penetrating the active region and forming a deep, insulating, low-refractive-index structure with a smooth interface that is free of defects and dislocations.; Data are presented on devices utilizing the large lateral index step provided by the deep oxide, including high performance AlGaAs-GaAs QWH stripe-geometry laser diodes, waveguides with low bend loss, and low-threshold curved-geometry lasers. These devices display tight routing capability and suggest compact, integrable geometries for reducing the real-estate requirements (and the cost) of the optoelectronic integrated circuits and for offering less constraint in circuit design.