Abstract
While quantum well lasers offer the attractive feature of tuning the wavelength by adjusting the well width, interest in these devices is also stimulated by the reductions in threshold current which are predicted compared with conventional double heterostructure devices.1 Many of the predictions of threshold current (Ith) are based on ideal rectangular density of states functions,2 yet such calculations do not account for the observation that the laser emission occurs at a longer wavelength than that associated with the appropriate sub-band separation.3 Although some calculations have included intra-band scattering,4 or have relaxed the k-selection rules,5 these still fail to reproduce the wavelength behaviour correctly.
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References
For a recent review of the physics of quantum well lasers see: P. Blood, Reappraisal of GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well lasers, in Quantum Wells and Superlattices in Optoelectronic Devices and Integrated Optics, A.R. Adams ed, Proc SPIE 861, 34–41 (1987).
N.K. Dutta, “Calculated threshold current of GaAs quantum well lasers” J. Apl. Phys. 53:7211 (1982).
K. Woodbridge, P. Blood, E.D. Fletcher and P.J. Hulyer, Short wavelength (visible) GaAs quantum well lasers grown by molecular beam epitaxy, Appl. Phys. Letts. 45:16 (1984).
M. Asada, A. Kameyama, and Y. Suematsu, Gain and intervalence-band absorption in quantum well lasers, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-20:754 (1984).
P.T. Lansberg, M.S. Abrahams and M. Osinski, Evidence of no k-selection in gain spectra of quantum well AlGaAs laser diodes, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-21:24 (1985).
P. Blood, S. Colak and A.I. Kucharska, Influence of broadening and high injection effects on GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well lasers, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-24:1593 (1988).
P. Blood, E.D. Fletcher, P.J. Hulyer and P.M. Smowton, Emission wavelength of AlGaAs-GaAs multiple quantum well lasers, Appl. Phys. Letts. 48:1111 (1986).
P. Blood, E.D. Fletcher and K. Woodbridge, Dependence of threshold current on the number of wells in AlGaAs-GaAs quantum well lasers, Appl. Phys. Letts. 47:193 (1985).
S. Tarucha, H. Kobayashi, Y. Horikoshi and H. Okamoto, Carrier induced energy gap shrinkage in current-injection GaAs/AlGaAs MQW heterostructures, Jap. J. Appl. Phys. 23:874 (1984).
G. Tränkle, H. Leier A Forchel, H. Haug, C. Ell, and G. Weimann, Dimensionality dependence of the band-gap renormalisation in two-and three-dimensional electron-hole plasmas in GaAs, Phys. Rev. Letts. 58:419 (1987).
E. Zielinski, H. Schweizer, S. Hausser, R. Stuber, M. Pilkuhn and G. Weimann, Systematics of laser operation in GaAs/AlGaAs multi-quantum well lasers, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23:969 (1987).
S. Colak, R. Eppenga and M.F.H. Schuurmans, Band mixing effects on quantum well gain, IEEE J. Quantum Eectron. QE-23:960 (1987).
P. Blood, S. Colak and A.I. Kucharska, Temperature dependence of threshold current in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers, Appl. Phys. Letts. 52:599 (1988).
P. Blood, E.D. Fletcher, K. Woodbridge, K.C. Heasman and A.R. Adams, Influence of the barriers on the temperature dependence of threshold current in GaAs/AalGaAs quantum well lasers. To be published.
P.T. Lansberg and D.J. Robbins, Lifetime broadening of a parabolic band edge of a pure semiconductor at various temperatures, Sol. State Electron. 28:137 (1985).
D.J. Robbins, Lifetime broadening in quantum well lasers, in Novel Optoelectronic Devices, M.J. Adams ed, Proc. SPIE 800:34 (1987).
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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York
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Blood, P. (1989). High Injection Effects in Quantum Well Lasers. In: Haug, H., Bányai, L. (eds) Optical Switching in Low-Dimensional Systems. NATO ASI Series, vol 194. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-7278-3_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-7278-3_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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