Effect of uniaxial stress on optical gain in semiconductors

Journal Article · Sun Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 1984 · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.333094· OSTI ID:5509436

Dutta, N K

It has been previously shown that the optical gain for impurity-band transitions is altered by stress and the results of that analysis have been used to explain the ''anomalous'' polarization characteristics of semiconductor lasers. However, in semiconductor lasers with undoped active layer the stimulated emission is observed at band-to-band transitions. The effect of uniaxial stress on optical gain for band-to-band transitions in direct gap semiconductors is calculated in this paper. The optical gain for linearly polarized light with electric vector along the stress is found to be larger than that for light polarized normal to the stress even in the absence of impurities. This arises from the stress-induced anisotropy of the band-edge effective masses. The result shows that in semiconductor injection lasers, the optical gain for the TM mode (E normal to the junction) is larger than that of the TE mode (E along the junction) in the presence of a sufficient compressive stress normal to the junction. The stimulated emission from injection lasers is usually polarized in the TE mode, which has higher facet reflectivity than that of the TM mode. Thus the observation of stimulated TM emission implies higher TM gain and hence suggests the presence of compressive stress.

• Research Organization: Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974
• OSTI ID: 5509436
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 55:2; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
AMPLIFICATION
ANISOTROPY
EMISSION
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
GAIN
IMPURITIES
LASERS
MATERIALS
OPTICAL MODES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
OSCILLATION MODES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLARIZATION
REFLECTIVITY
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
STIMULATED EMISSION
STRESSES
SURFACE PROPERTIES