LOW DEGRADATION RATE IN STRAINED INGAAS/ALGAAS SINGLE QUANTUM-WELL LASERS

A 10 000 h, 30°C constant-current lifetest was performed on five strained In0.2Ga0.08As/AIGaAs single quantum well lasers, with λ ~ 930 nm. The devices are 90 µm × 400 pm oxide-stripe lasers with facet coatings, grown by atmospheric pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. For each diode, the current was maintained at a constant value of ~ 300 mA, corresponding to approximately 100 mW output power. After 104 h, thresholds increased from an average of 84 mA to 108 mA, while quantum efficiencies were essentially unchanged. In relation to a typical 100 mW constant-power lifetest, this is equivalent to a degradation rate less than l%o per kh. © 1990 IEEE