Lateral current confinement by reverse-biased junctions in GaAs-AlxGa1−xAs DH lasers

Abstract

Two methods are described for fabrication of a DH stripe-geometry laser where lateral current confinement is obtained with reverse-biased junctions on both sides of the active layer. Threshold current densities, comparable in values to optimum values achieved in other stripe geometry lasers, are obtained as a function of top channel widths for lasers with single and double current confinement. The lasers exhibit clean stable mode patterns with excellent linearity of the optical output power as a function of injection current. Lasers with channel widths ≲14 μm operate in the lowest-order transverse mode in the junction plane for currents up to ∼two times the threshold (an output power of 16 mW per mirror).