High performance single and multiple quantum well InGaAs/InP lasers

Summary form only given. The authors report a simple technique which leads to reproducible preparation of low threshold current single- and multiple-quantum-well (SQW and MQW) lasers. Separate confinement SQW and MQW lasers were grown by atmospheric pressure MOVPE (metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy). The active region consists of 10-15-nm InGaAs well(s) cladded by a 50-nm-thick InGaAsP (E_g=0.84 eV) waveguide layer. High-quality device structures were prepared by a novel interlayer growth technique where a thin layer of InP was introduced at the QW-barrier interface. Both SCH-SQW and MQW lasers show threshold current densities of approximately 2 kA/cm² in 250- mu m-long devices. Polarized photocurrent response measurements of the laser waveguides show well-resolved heavy (TE) and light (TM) hole excitons. Lasing occurs at the heavy hole exciton energy of approximately 1.55 mu m, clearly indicating a quantum size effect.