Spectral dependence of the change in refractive index due to carrier injection in GaAs lasers

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981 · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.329371· OSTI ID:6285025

Henry, C H; Logan, R A; Bertness, K A

The refractive index change caused by changes in the absorption edge of GaAs is determined by analysis of the spontaneous emission spectrum of a buried heterostructure window laser. The spontaneous emission spectrum is converted to a gain spectrum from which changes in the imaginary part of the refractive index can be calculated as the laser is excited from low current up to threshold. The real change in refractive index is then determined by a Kramers-Kronig transformation. The change in refractive index n' of the GaAs active layer is slightly sublinear with minority carrier density n/sub c/. At the laser line, including the calculated contribution of free carriers, ..delta..n' = -0.025 +- 0.005 and dn'/dn/sub c/ = -(1.8 +- 0.4) x 10/sup -20/ cm/sup 3/ in lasers with carrier densities at threshold estimated as 1.02 x 10/sup 18/ cm/sup -3/. Near threshold, the ratio of the change in the real index to the change in the imaginary index is about 6.2.

• Research Organization: Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974
• OSTI ID: 6285025
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 52:7; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
ABSORPTION
AMPLIFICATION
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CARRIER DENSITY
CHARGE CARRIERS
CORRELATIONS
DATA
EMISSION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAIN
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
KRAMERS-KRONIG CORRELATION
LASERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
REFRACTIVITY
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
SPECTRA
TRANSFORMATIONS