Abstract
The spontaneous emission of GaAs mesa diodes fabricated from 2×1018 cm−3 n-type material was observed at 77°K as a function of applied voltage in a direction normal to the plane of the junction. The emission observed from the p side represents the spectral shape as generated at the junction. When observed from the n side the spectra whose peaks shift with forward bias (due to band filling) have a periodically occurring enhancement and attenuation. These periodic features in the spectra are caused by interference of the spontaneous emission reflected from the gold contact that partially covers the diffused surface. Analysis of reflection from the Au-GaAs interface indicates that the adjacent minima or maxima in the spectra should have the observed average separation in energy of 150/xj meV, where xj is the junction depth in microns. In addition, this analysis relates the maximum enhancement or attenuation in the spectra to the active region width and demonstrates that the band-filling radiative recombination width is 600 Å or less. When the applied voltage exceeds 1.5 V and recombination of thermally injected carriers dominates, the emission peak (hvp≃1.47 eV) no longer shifts with voltage, and interference is not observed. This absence of interference in the stationary peak indicates that the active region width has become greater than 10 000 Å.
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