Quantum-well heterostructure lasers

Abstract

The various features peculiar to the operation of quantum-well semiconductor lasers are described and illustrated with data on single- and multiple-quantum-well Al x Ga 1-x As-GaAs heterostructures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD). Photo-pumped and p-n diode lasers (injection lasers) are described that are capable of continuous room temperature (CW 300 K) operation. The basic problems of carrier collection, thermalization, and quantum-well band filling are considered and have made clear the limits on single quantum-well laser operation and how these can be overcome with multiple quantum-well active regions. The idea that the steplike density-of-states of a quantum-well heterostructure can improve the operation of a semiconductor laser is shown to be valid. Also, it is shown that phonon participation in the operation of a quantum-well laser, which was not anticipated, is a major (even dominant) effect, with perhaps the phonon emission itself in the compact active region being stimulated. Besides the obvious freedom that quantum-well layers offer in how the active region of a semiconductor laser can be designed, quantum-well lasers are shown to exhibit a lesser sensitivity of the threshold current density on temperature, which is explained in terms of the step-like density-of-states and the disturbed electron and phonon distributions in the quantum-well active regions. Values as high as \sim437\deg C have been obtained for T 0 in the usual expression J_{th}(T) = J_{th}(0) \exp (T/T_{0}) . Since photopumped multiple-quantum-well MO-CVD Al x Ga 1-x As-GaAs heterostructures have operated as CW 300 K lasers with only 5-10 mW of photoexcitation (uncorrected for focusing and window losses, \lambda \sim 5145 A), it is suggested that quantum-well laser diodes can be made that will operate at ∼1 mA or even less excitation.