Strained AlGaInP quantum wire lasers

Abstract

We report on the fabrication of strained separate-confinement heterostructure AlGaInP visible laser diodes with multiple quantum wire active regions formed in situ during gas source molecular beam epitaxy. Lateral composition modulation with a period on the order of 100 Å perpendicular to the growth direction occurs spontaneously during the growth of the (GaP) 2/(InP) 2 short-period superlattice active region by the strain-induced lateral-layer ordering (SILO) process. Individual laser diodes fabricated from the same wafer but emitting parallel and normal to the wire axis exhibit highly anisotropic properties, including large difference in threshold current, emission wavelength, and opposite polarizations. These effects are explained in terms of the strained quantum wire potential. The additional degree of quantum confinement in quantum wire structure reduces the threshold current density by a factor of > 2.7 when compared with an otherwise identical quantum well laser.