Influence of the barriers on the temperature dependence of threshold current in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/3.29281· OSTI ID:5774255

Blood, P; Fletcher, E D; Woodbridge, K; Heasman, K C; Adams, A R

It is commonly observed that GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers have a stronger temperature dependence of threshold current than predicted for a two-dimensional system, and it has been suggested that the barrier regions may be responsible for this behavior. Using window devices, the authors have observed light emission from the barrier regions of lasers with 25 A wide quantum wells, and while this provides direct evidence for the presence of carriers in the barriers, this radiative current is less than 1 percent of the total current. From measurement of threshold current as a function of temperature on devices grown by molecular beam epitaxy using different Al cells for the barriers, they have demonstrated the strong influence of nonradiative barrier recombination processes on the threshold current. Further measurements of threshold current as a function of hydrostatic pressure show that recombination from the L and X conduction band minima makes an important contribution to the current. These observations are reproduced by a model calculation of threshold current which includes barrier recombination processes. The temperature dependence of these calculated threshold currents is stronger than that in the absence of barrier recombination processes. The temperature dependence of these calculated threshold currents is stronger than that in the absence of barrier recombination and is similar to experimental observations. The calculations show how the temperature dependence of threshold depends upon factors such as cavity length and the number of quantum wells.

• Research Organization: Philips Research Labs., Eindhoven (Netherlands); Surrey Univ., Guildford (UK). Dept. of Physics
• OSTI ID: 5774255
• Journal Information: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States) Vol. 25:6; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CALCULATION METHODS
CURRENT DENSITY
DATA
EPITAXY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LASER CAVITIES
LASERS
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
NUMERICAL DATA
PNICTIDES
QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
RECOMBINATION
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
SOLID STATE LASERS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS