High-efficiency InGaAlP surface emission light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been successfully fabricated. Newly designed double-heterostructure LEDs with a GaAlAs current spreading layer were employed to expand the light emission area, which is necessary to take out the light efficiently. The external quantum efficiency was 1.5% at 620 nm orange light for an In0.5 (Ga0.8Al0.2)0.5P active layer LED. This LED is five times more efficient at 620 nm than that of the GaAlAs and GaAsP LEDs. 563 nm green electroluminescence, which is the shortest wavelength ever reported for InGaAlP LEDs, was also achieved with an In0.5(Ga0.5Al0.5)0.5P active layer.

We demonstrate room temperature pulsed operation of nitride based multi-quantum-well (MQW) laser diodes with cleaved mirror facets grown on a conventional C-face sapphire substrate. Cleavage was performed along the <11*BAR*2*BAR*0> direction of the sapphire substrate, and the resultant facet was analyzed using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and theoretical calculation. A single peak emisson, at a wavelength of 417.5 nm, with a full width at half-maximum of 0.15 nm, was obtained. The threshold current density of the laser was 50 kA/cm2 and a voltage for the threshold current was 20 V.

Improvement in temperature characteristics of GaN laser diodes is important for realizing reliable devices operating at high temperatures. Thermal characteristics of GaN lasers have been analyzed by using a three-dimensional thermal conduction model. Maximum operation temperature has also been calculated. It was shown that the reduction in the stripe width as well as the reduction in threshold current density and operation voltage is very important for improving the temperature characteristics of GaN laser diodes.

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Carrier overflow and perpendicular transverse mode in InGaN multi-quantum-well lasers have been analyzed by numerical calculation. A high acceptor concentration for the p-type cladding layer and the reduction of the active layer volume have a large effect on the reduction of carrier overflow. Anti-guide-like behavior of the waveguide mode is formed in InGaN laser structures where the cladding layers have insufficient thickness. The layer structure should be designed so as to reduce the carrier overflow and suppress the anti-guide-like mode.