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Title: Cavity design for improved electrical injection in InAlGaP/AlGaAs visible (639--661 nm) vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.109844· OSTI ID:6038290
;  [1]
  1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-5800 (United States)

A novel optical cavity design for improved electrical injection in visible vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes employing an InGaP/InAlGaP strained quantum-well active optical cavity and AlAs/Al[sub 0.5]Ga[sub 0.5]As distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) is described. The cavity design was determined by measuring the lasing threshold current density of visible edge-emitting laser diodes with AlAs/Al[sub 0.5]Ga[sub 0.5]As DBR cladding layers. By inserting InAlP spacer layers between the active region and the DBR cladding, significant improvement in the performance of the edge-emitting lasers was achieved. This approach was then applied to the design of visible VCSEL diodes, and resulted in the first demonstration of room-temperature electrically injected lasing, over the wavelength range 639--661 nm. The visible VCSELs, with a diameter of 20 [mu]m, exhibit pulsed output power of 3.4 mW at 650 nm, and continue to lase at a duty cycle of 40%. The threshold current was 30 mA, with a low threshold voltage (2.7 V) and low series resistance ([lt]15 [Omega]).

DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
6038290
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters; (United States), Vol. 63:7; ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English