Thermal performance of 1.55μm InGaAlAs quantum well buried heterostructure lasers

Abstract

Abstract-We have investigated the threshold current I th and differential quantum efficiency as the function of temperature in InGaAlAs/InP multiple quantum well (MQWs) buried heterostructure (BH) lasers. We find that the temperature sensitivity of I th is due to non-radiative recombination which accounts for up to ~80% of J th at room temperature. Analysis of spontaneous emission emitted from the devices show that the dominant non-radiative recombination process is consistent with Auger recombination. We further show that the above threshold differential internal quantum efficiency, i η , is ~80% at 20°C remaining stable up to 80°C . In contrast, the internal optical loss, i α , increases from 15 cm -1 at 20°C to 22 cm -1 at 80°C, consistent with inter-valence band absorption (IVBA). This suggests that the decrease in power output at elevated temperatures is associated with both Auger recombination and IVBA.

Physical Properties and Characteristics of III-V Lasers on Silicon

“…(1), Z = 3 is indicative of Auger recombination, which is known to be a problem in InP-based telecommunications wavelength lasers, where InGaAs and InGaAlAs based devices are found to have Auger contributions of as much as ∼80% and ∼60% of the threshold current, respectively at room temperature. [33]- [35]. However, since Z increases above 3, this suggests that carrier leakage also plays a role at elevated temperatures, consistent with the increased thermal energy of the carriers and high injection levels.…”