Self-assembled quantum dots, wires and quantum-dot lasers

Molecular beam epitaxy-grown self-assembled In(Ga)As/GaAs and InAs/InAlAs/InP quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wires (QWRs) have been studied. By adjusting growth conditions, surprising alignment. preferential elongation, and pronounced sequential coalescence of dots and wires under specific condition are realized. The lateral ordering of QDs and the vertical anti-correlation of QWRs are theoretically discussed. Room-temperature (RT) continuous-wave (CW) lasing at the wavelength of 960 nm with output power of 3.6 W from both uncoated facets is achieved fi-om vertical coupled InAs/GaAs QDs ensemble. The RT threshold current density is 218 A/cm(2). A RT CW output power of 0.6 W/facet ensures at least 3570 h lasing (only drops 0.83 dB). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved.

Anisotropic radiation pattern from InGaAlP quantum well mesa-like microdisks

To overcome the isotropic directional emission of an ideal circular microdisk, two kinds of cylindrical mesa-like InGaAlP single quantum well (SQW) microdisks emitting at a visible red wavelength of 0.66 mu m have been fabricated. An anisotropic luminescence pattern was revealed by the microscopic fluorescence (FL) image. FL intensity, preferentially enhanced with twofold symmetry, appeared at the circumference of the InGaAlP SQW microdisks. Our results demonstrated that anisotropic radiation can be achieved by geometry shaping of the disks on the top view two-dimensional boundary slightly deformed from circular shape and/or on the side-view cross-section of the circular mesa by wet etching anisotropic undercut. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel 1.3-mu m high T-0 AlGaInAs/InP strained-compensated multi-quantum well complex-coupled distributed feedback laser diode

A 1.3-mu m AlGaInAs/InP buried heterostructure (BH) stripe distributed feedback laser with a novel AlInAs/InP complex-coupled grating grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) is proposed and demonstrated. A high characteristic temperature (T-0 = 90K between 20-80 degrees C) and temperature-insensitive slope efficiency (0.25 dB drop from 20 to 80 degrees C) in 1.3 mu m AlGaInAs/InP DFB lasers was obtained by introducing AI(Ga)InAs graded-index separate-confinement heterostructure (GRINSCH) layers and a strained-compensated (SC) multi-quantum well (MQW).

Buried heterostructure InGaAsP/InP strain-compensated multiple quantum well laser with a native-oxidized InAlAs current blocking layer

An InAlAs native oxide is used to replace the p-n reverse-biased junction in a conventional buried heterostructure InP-based laser. This technique reduces the number of regrowth steps and eliminates leakage current under high-temperature operation. The InAlAs native oxide buried heterostructure (NOBH) laser with strain-compensated InGaAsP/InP multiple quantum well active layers has a threshold current of 5.6 mA, a slope efficiency of 0.23 mW/mA, and a linear power up to 22.5 mW with a HR-coated facet. It exhibits single transverse mode with lasing wavelength at 1.532 mu m. A characteristic temperature (T-0) of 50 K is obtained from the NOBH laser with a nonoptimized oxide layer width. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)01352-7].

High energy ion implantation enhanced intermixed quantum well structures and their absorption characteristics in passive optical waveguides

We have shown that high energy ion implantation enhanced intermixing (HE-IIEI) technology for quantum well (QW) structures is a powerful technique which can be used to blue shift the band gap energy of a QW structure and therefore decrease its band gap absorption. Room temperature (RT) photoluminescence (PL) and guided-wave transmission measurements have been employed to investigate the amount of blue shift of the band gap energy of an intermixed QW structure and the reduction of band gap absorption, Record large blue shifts in PL peaks of 132 nm for a 4-QW InGaAs/InGaAsP/InP structure have been demonstrated in the intermixed regions of the QW wafers, on whose non-intermixed regions, a shift as small as 5 nm is observed. This feature makes this technology very attractive for selective intermixing in selected areas of an MQW structure. The dramatical reduction in band gap absorption for the InP based MQW structure has been investigated experimentally. It is found that the intensity attenuation for the blue shifted structure is decreased by 242.8 dB/cm for the TE mode and 119 dB/cm for the TM mode with respect to the control samples. Electro-absorption characteristics have also been clearly observed in the intermixed structure. Current-Voltage characteristics were employed to investigate the degradation of the p-n junction in the intermixed region. We have achieved a successful fabrication and operation of Y-junction optical switches (JOS) based on MQW semiconductor optical amplifiers using HE-IIEI technology to fabricate the low loss passive waveguide. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Wavelength tunable distributed Bragg reflector laser integrated with electro-absorption modulator by a combined method of selective area growth and quantum well intermixing - art. no. 68240N

Wavelength tunable electro-absorption modulated distributed Bragg reflector lasers (TEMLs) are promising light source in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) optical fiber communication system due to high modulation speed, small chirp, low drive voltage, compactness and fast wavelength tuning ability. Thus, increased the transmission capacity, the functionality and the flexibility are provided. Materials with bandgap difference as large as 250nm have been integrated on the same wafer by a combined technique of selective area growth (SAG) and quantum well intermixing (QWI), which supplies a flexible and controllable platform for the need of photonic integrated circuits (PIC). A TEML has been fabricated by this technique for the first time. The component has superior characteristics as following: threshold current of 37mA, output power of 3.5mW at 100mA injection and 0V modulator bias voltage, extinction ratio of more than 20 dB with modulator reverse voltage from 0V to 2V when coupled into a single mode fiber, and wavelength tuning range of 4.4nm covering 6 100-GHz WDM channels. A clearly open eye diagram is observed when the integrated EAM is driven with a 10-Gb/s electrical NRZ signal. A good transmission characteristic is exhibited with power penalties less than 2.2 dB at a bit error ratio (BER) of 10(-10) after 44.4 km standard fiber transmission.

Temperature-dependent modulation characteristics for 1.3 mu m InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers

Temperature-dependent modulation characteristics of 1.3 mu m InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) lasers under small signals have been carefully studied at various bias currents. Based on experimental observations, it is found that the modulation bandwidth significantly increases when excited state (ES) lasing emerges at high temperature. This is attributed to additional photons emitted by ES lasing which contribute to the modulation response. A rate equation model including two discrete electron energy levels and the level of wetting layer has been used to investigate the temperature-dependent dynamic behavior of the QD lasers. Numerical investigations confirm that the significant jump for the small signal modulation response is indeed caused by ES photons. Furthermore, we identify how the electron occupation probabilities of the two discrete energy levels can influence the photon density of different states and finally the modulation rate. Both experiments and numerical analysis show that the modulation bandwidth of QD lasers at high temperature can be increased by injecting more carriers into the ES that has larger electron state degeneracy and faster carrier's relaxation time than the ground state.

Broadband external cavity tunable quantum dot lasers with low injection current density

Broadband grating-coupled external cavity laser, based on InAs/GaAs quantum dots, is achieved. The device has a wavelength tuning range from 1141.6 nm to 1251.7 nm under a low continuous-wave injection current density (458 A/cm(2)). The tunable bandwidth covers consecutively the light emissions from both the ground state and the 1st excited state of quantum dots. The effects of cavity length and antireflection facet coating on device performance are studied. It is shown that antireflection facet coating expands the tuning bandwidth up to similar to 150 nm, accompanied by an evident increase in threshold current density, which is attributed to the reduced interaction between the light field and the quantum dots in the active region of the device.

Self-Heating Effect on the Two-State Lasing Behaviors in 1.3-mu m InAs-GaAs Quantum-Dot Lasers

Experimental and theoretical study of the self-heating effect on the two-state lasing behaviors in 1.3-mu m self-assembled InAs-GaAs quantum dot (QD) lasers is presented. Lasing spectra under different injected currents, light-current (L-I) curves measured in continuous and pulsed regimes as well as a rate-equation model considering the current heating have been employed to analyze the ground-state (GS) and excited-state (ES) lasing processes. We show that the self-heating causes the quenching of the GS lasing and the ES lasing by the increased carrier escape rate and the reduced maximum modal gain of GS and ES.

OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GAAS/ALGAAS RIDGE-QUANTUM-WELL-WIRES GROWN BY MBE ON NONPLANAR SUBSTRATES

With conventional photolithography and wet chemical etching, we have realized GaAs/AlGaAs buried ridge-quantum-well-wires (RQWWs) with vertically stacked wires in lateral arrays promising for device application, which were grown in situ by a single-step molecular beam epitaxy growth and formed at the ridge tops of mesas on nonplanar substrates. Confocal photoluminescence (CPL) and polarization-dependent photoreflectance (PR) are applied to study optical characteristics of RQWWs. Lateral bandgap modulation due to lateral variation of QW layer thickness is demonstrated not only by CPL but also by PR. As one evidence for RQWWs, a large blue shift is observed at the energy level positions for electronic transitions corresponding to quantum wells (QWs) at the ridge tops of mesas compared with those corresponding to QWs on nonpatterned areas of the same sample. The blue shift is in contradiction with the fact that the GaAs QW layers at the tops of the mesas are thicker than those on nonpatterned areas. The other evidence for RQWWs, optical anisotropy is provided by the polarization-dependent PR, which results from lateral quantum size effect existing at the tops of the mesas.

EXTREMELY LOW THRESHOLD CURRENT, BURIED-HETEROSTRUCTURE STRAINED INGAAS GAAS MULTIQUANTUM WELL LASERS

A very low CW threshold current of 1.65 mA at room temperature was obtained for an uncoated buried-heterostructure strained layer multiquantum well InGaAs-GaAs laser fabricated using hybrid molecular beam epitaxy and liquid phase epitaxy crystal growth technique. External differential quantum efficiency as high as 44.6% (0.53 mW/mA) and output power of more than 30 mW per facet were achieved in the same laser.

GAAS/GAALAS GRADED INDEX SEPARATE CONFINEMENT SINGLE QUANTUM-WELL SINGLE-MODE WAVE-GUIDE ELECTROABSORPTION LIGHT-MODULATOR

A GaAs/GaAlAs graded-index separate confinement single quantum well heterostructure single-mode ridge waveguide electroabsorption modulator was fabricated and investigated. For the modulator with a quantum well width of 100 angstrom and device length of 700-mu-m, an on/off ratio of 29.7 dB and estimated absorption insertion loss of 3 dB were obtained for TE polarised light with wavelength 8650 angstrom, and for TM polarisation the on/off ratio was 28.5 dB. With a switching voltage of 1 V, an on/off ratio of 15 dB was achieved. Photocurrent spectra exhibited a red shift of 600 angstrom of the absorption edge when the voltage applied to the PIN diode was varied from 0.5 to -7 V. The corresponding shift of the room temperature exciton peak energy was 96 meV.

ENHANCEMENT EFFECT OF PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITED SIN CAPPING LAYER ON DIELECTRIC CAP QUANTUM-WELL DISORDERING

Quantum well disordering of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well(MQW) has been accomplished with only plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) SiN cap layer growth. The amount of blue shift increases with SiN growing time. This result has been explained by the vacancy indiffusion during PECVD SiN growth. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of the sample after SiN cap layer growth at 850 degrees C for 35 s caused a larger amount of blue shift than those obtained without RTA. By considering the model of Al diffusion from AlGaAs barrier into GaAs QWs together with the result from photoluminescence (PL) measurement, Al diffusion coefficients were calculated. The Al diffusion coefficient due to PECVD SiN was estimated at about 3 x10(-17) cm(2)/s. It was possible to extract the effect of RTA on the QW disordering, which showed that the amount of the blue shift and the Al diffusion coefficient due only to RTA increases with SiN cap layer thickness as reported by Chi et al.(10))

High temperature operation of 650nm AlGaInP quantum well laser diodes grown by LP-MOCVD

Low threshold current and high temperature operation of 650nm AlGaInP quantum well laser diodes grown by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) are reported in this paper. 650nm laser diodes with threshold current as low as 22-24mA at room temperature, and the operating temperature over 90 degrees C at CW output power 5 mW were achieved in this study. These lasers are stable during 72 hours burn in under 5mW at 90 degrees C.

High performance 1.55 mu m InGaAsP/InP strained layer quantum well laser diodes fabricated by MOCVD overgrowth method

High performance uncooled 1.55 mu m InGaAsP/InP strained layer quantum well (SL-QW) lasers grown by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) were reported in this paper. Whole MOCVD over growth method were applied in this work. The threshold currents of 5mA and the highest lasing temperature of 122 degrees C were obtained.