We have studied the polarization of surface and edge-emitted photoluminescence ͑PL͒ from structures with vertically coupled In 0.5 Ga 0.5 As/GaAs quantum dots ͑QD's͒ grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The PL polarization is found to be strongly dependent on the number of stacked layers. While single-layer and 3-layer structures show only a weak TE polarization, it is enhanced for 10-layer stacks. The 20-layer stacks additionally show a low-energy side-band of high TE polarization, which is attributed to laterally coupled QD's forming after the growth of many layers by lateral coalescence of QD's in the upper layers. While in the single, 3-and 10-layer stacks, both TE polarized PL components are stronger than the TM component, the ͓110͔ TE component is weaker than the TM component in the 20-layer stack. This polarization reversal is attributed to an increasing vertical coupling with increasing layer number due to increasing dot size.

We report on resonant photoluminescence ͑PL͒ of InGaN inclusions in a GaN matrix. The structures were grown on sapphire substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Nonresonant pulsed excitation results in a broad PL peak, while resonant excitation into the nonresonant PL intensity maximum results in an evolution of a sharp resonant PL peak, having a spectral shape defined by the excitation laser pulse and a radiative decay time close to that revealed for PL under nonresonant excitation. Observation of a resonantly excited narrow PL line gives clear proof of the quantum dot nature of luminescence in InGaN-GaN samples. PL decay demonstrates strongly nonexponential behavior evidencing coexistence of quantum dots having similar ground-state transition energy, but very different electron-hole wave-function overlap.

We report photopumped room-temperature surface-mode lasing at 401 nm in a InGaAlN vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser grown on a sapphire substrate using metal–organic vapor-phase epitaxy. A 2λ cavity was formed by a quarter-wave Al0.15Ga0.85N/GaN distributed Bragg reflector on the one side of the active layer and a GaN–air interface on the other. A multilayer structure composed of 12-fold-stacked ultrathin InGaN insertions in a GaN matrix served as an active layer providing ultrahigh material gain and making possible vertical lasing without use of the upper Bragg reflector.

A comparative analysis is made of laser diodes based on Stranski-Krastanow (SK) and sub-monolayer (SML) InAs/GaAs quantum dots, emitting at about 940 nm. Owing to the better uniformity of sub-monolayer quantum dots, the SML QD laser surpasses the SK QD one in power characteristics. A maximum output power of 3.9 W and a peak power conversion efficiency of 59% have been achieved for SML QD 100 µm wide lasers at 10 • C.