Gigahertz microcavity light emitters using resonant tunneling diodes

By designing a planar microcavity around a resonant tunneling light-emitting diode (RTLED), the high modulation speed of resonant tunneling devices is combined with the high external quantum efficiency of microcavity devices. Two designs are proposed and realized. The first design is a quantum well resonant tunneling light emitter and the second a bulk tunneling-based light emitter. Whereas the first only operates well at cryogenic temperatures, the bulk light emitter operates efficiently at room temperature. Design, realization and the electrical and optical steady-state and transient characteristics of the two kinds of tunneling-based microcavity light emitters are presented.