ZnSe-based blue-green lasers with a short-period superlattice waveguide

We report the successful application of alternatively strained short-period superlattices for the waveguide region of optically pumped and injection room-temperature ZnSe-based lasers operating within the 470-523 nm spectral range. The design of optically pumped ZnMgSSe/ZnSSe/ZnCdSe lasers provides extremely low threshold power densities due to the enhanced electronic and optical confinement. Room-temperature BeMgZnSe/ZnCdSe injection lasers with threshold current density of about 750 A/cm(2) and characteristic temperature as high as 366 K are demonstrated. The peculiarities of carrier transport across the short-period superlattices are explained by a thermally activated mechanism. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)01040-7].