Preparation and characterisation of GaInAsP/InP double-heterostructure wafers and lasers for the 1.3μm wavelength range

GalnAsP/InP double-heterostructure lasers were grown by liquid-phase epitaxy on (100) InP substrates for the wavelength region around 1.3 μm. The preparation and the properties of the wafers are described in detail. The characterisation includes the determination of the band-gap energy, the lattice mismatch of the GalnAsP active layer to InP as a function of the melt composition, and the measurement of the optical-gain spectra. Oxide-stripe geometry lasers, prepared from the wafers, lase at around 1.3 ¿m with pulsed thresholds between 300 and 400 mA. Some samples have been tested in c.w. operation at room temperature for more than 1400 hours. During the first 1000 hours a threshold increase of typically 2% has been observed.