Heterostructure semiconductor lasers prepared by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

<tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.72-0.88 \mu</tex> m (AlGa)As, <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1.3-1.65 \mu</tex> m GaInAsP and AlGa-InAs, and 1.78 μm AlGaSb double-heterostructure (DH) lasers were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy. For AlGaAs DH lasers very low 300 K threshold current densities and long operating life (mean time to failure >10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sup> h at 300 K) were achieved and optical transmitters containing MBE-grown lasers have been field-tested. For lasers with lasing wavelength <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;1\mu</tex> m, MBE is in the development stage. The unique capabilities of MBE as an epitaxial growth technique and its important contributions to the field of optoelectronics are illustrated by a discussion of a new class of laser structures including quantum well heterostructure of GaAs/ Al <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</inf> Ga <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1-x</inf> AS and Ga <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.47</inf> In <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.53</inf> As/InP, double-barrier double-heterostructure, and graded-index waveguide separate-confinement-heretostructure lasers. These new lasers, made possible by MBE, have characteristics unmatched by conventional liquid phase epitaxial growth techniques.