Physics and characteristics of high performance 1200 nm InGaAs and 1300–1400nm InGaAsN quantum well lasers obtained by metal–organic chemical vapourdeposition

Abstract

Here we present the physics and device characteristics of high performance strain-compensatedMOCVD-grown 1200 nm InGaAs and 1300–1400 nm InGaAsN quantum well (QW) lasers.Utilizing the GaAsP barriers surrounding the highly strained InGaAsN QW active regions,high performance QW lasers have been realized from 1170 nm up to 1400 nm wavelengthregions. The design of the InGaAsN QW active region utilizes an In content ofapproximately 40%, which requires only approximately 0.5–1% N content to realizeemission wavelengths up to 1300–1410 nm. Threshold current densities of only65–90 A cm−2 were realized for InGaAs QW lasers, with emission wavelengths of 1170–1233 nm.Room temperature threshold and transparency current densities of 210 and75–80 A cm−2, respectively, have been realized for 1300 nm InGaAsN QW lasers. Despite the utilizationof the highly strained InGaAsN QW, multiple-QW lasers have been realized with excellentlasing performance. Methods for extending the lasing emission wavelength up to1400 nm with InGaAsN QW lasers are also presented. Theoretical analysis andexperiments also show suppression of thermionic carrier leakages in InGaAsNQW systems leading to high performance lasers operating at high temperature.