Low-temperature optimized vertical-cavity lasers with submilliamp threshold currents over the 77-370 K temperature range

We demonstrate an extended temperature range (77-370 K) of continuous wave (CW) operation for dielectrically-apertured double-intracavity-contacted vertical-cavity lasers optimized for operation at cryogenic temperatures. Superior performance is achieved through the alignment of the cavity mode with the gain of the first and second quantized subbands at 77 K and room temperature, respectively. This design results in submilliamp threshold currents over a 77-370 K temperature range for 5.4-mu m diameter lasers. The threshold is 120 mu A and the output power is >8 mW at 77 K.