STRAINED-LAYER 1.5-MU-M WAVELENGTH INGAAS/INP MULTIPLE QUANTUM-WELL LASERS GROWN BY CHEMICAL BEAM EPITAXY

A substantial reduction is reported in the threshold current densities for 1.5μm wavelength InxGa1_xAs/InxGa1_xAs1_yPy strained-layer multiple quantum well (SLMQW) lasers over lattice-matched MQW lasers. Threshold current density was found to depend sensitively on the InAs content x and thickness d of the InxGa1 _xAs quantum wells. Threshold current densities as low as 370 A/cm2 and internal quantum efficiency of 90% were obtained for separate confinement heterostructure SL-MQW lasers having four quantum wells and with x = 0-65 and d = 5 nm. Such a threshold current density is among the lowest values obtained thus far for 1.5μm wavelength InGaAs/InGaAsP MQW lasers. The present lasers were grown by chemical beam epitaxy. © 1990, The Institution of Electrical Engineers. All rights reserved.