Interband cascade lasers grown simultaneously on GaSb, GaAs and Si substrates

Abstract

We report on Sb-based interband cascade lasers simultaneously grown on GaSb, GaAs and Si substrates. 8 µm x 2 mm devices exhibited similar threshold currents around 40 mA at 20°C and achieved continuous-wave (CW) operation up to 65°C on GaSb, GaAs and Si substrates despite a dislocation density of ∼ 4.108 cm-2 for both mismatched substrates. In the CW regime the output power of the devices emitting at 3.3 µm exceeded 30 mW/facet at 20°C. ICLs on GaAs and Si were subsequently aged at 50°C with an injection current of 200 mA, i.e. five times the laser-threshold current. No degradation was observed after 500 h of CW operation, demonstrating the high performance of ICLs and their tolerance to dislocations.