Catastrophic optical damage (COD) in Al-free InGaAs/InGaP 0.98 μm lasers has been investigated using real-time electroluminescence (EL) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). From EL images, we observed that multiple bright spots initiated from one of the facets and then propagated to the center of the cavity during the COD process. It is clarified by the TEM analysis that the propagation of bright spots resulted in 60-nm-wide Moiré fringe along the cavity and the crystalline phase of the active area became polycrystalline. Highly nonradiative polycrystalline phase of the active area is the major cause of COD failure in the Al-free 0.98 μm lasers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.