Hydrostatic pressure dependence of recombination mechanisms in GaInNAs, InGaAsP and AlGaInAs 1.3 μm quantum well lasers

Abstract

AbstractFrom measurements of the threshold current and lasing energy as a function of pressure in InGaAsP/InP, AlGaInAs/InP and GaInNAs/GaAs based multiple quantum well lasers we determine the relative importance of the monomolecular, radiative and Auger recombination processes. For the InP based devices, we find that a simple combination of radiative and non‐radiative Auger recombination can fully explain the pressure dependence of the threshold current where the threshold carrier density is approximately constant as a function of pressure. For the GaInNAs/GaAs devices we observe a large increase in threshold current with pressure. This we show is due to the interaction of the nitrogen level with the conduction band which gives rise to an increased conduction band effective mass resulting in an increase in threshold carrier density of ∼12% over 10 kbar. This large increase in nth increases the monomolecular, radiative and unusually, the Auger recombination current with pressure explaining the large increase in threshold current with pressure.