GaAs lasers with consistently low degradation rates at room temperature

Abstract

Simple oxide-insulated stripe-geometry double-heterostructure lasers have been made and life tested as part of an extensive laser reliability program. Early lasers have now been on test for more than 13 000 h and the first batch test has exceeded 7000 h. All the batch test lasers show slow degradation and at least 85% have rates of increase of threshold below 3.3% per 1000 h. Simple visual prebonding selection was used to eliminate defective lasers, and these results demonstrate that within this limitation lives in excess of 7000 h can be consistently achieved.