On the temperature sensitivity of 1.5-μm GaInNAsSb lasers

We analyze the temperature sensitivity of 1.5-μm GaInNAsSb lasers grown on GaAs. Building on the method of Tansu and coworkers, we find evidence that the characteristic temperatures for the threshold current T₀ and external efficiency T₁ are balanced by a combination of monomolecular recombination and temperature destabilizing mechanism(s) near room temperature. At elevated temperatures, the destabilizing process(es) dominate, due to increased threshold current density J_th. While it is difficult to definitively identify carrier leakage, Auger recombination, or a combination of the two as the responsible mechanism(s), results indicate that carrier leakage certainly plays a role. Evidence of intervalence band absorption was also found; T₁ was reduced, but J_th and T₀ were not significantly degraded. Conclusions are corroborated by supporting measurements of the Z-parameter with bias, spontaneous emission spectrum, and band-offsets. Spontaneous emission measurements show evidence of weak Fermi-level pinning within the active region at threshold, indicating a form of carrier leakage. This is consistent with the characteristic temperature analysis and a leakage mechanism is proposed. This process is partially responsible for the greater temperature sensitivity of device parameters and the poor internal efficiency. Methods for reducing the effects of each parasitic mechanism are also described.