Short wavelength (/spl lambda//spl sim/4.3 /spl mu/m) high-performance continuous-wave quantum-cascade lasers

We report continuous-wave (CW) operation of a 4.3-/spl mu/m quantum-cascade laser from 80 K to 313 K. For a high-reflectivity-coated 11-/spl mu/m-wide and 4-mm-long laser, CW output powers of 1.34 W at 80 K and 26 mW at 313 K are achieved. At 298 K, the CW threshold current density of 1.5 kA/cm/sup 2/ is observed with a CW output power of 166 mW and maximum wall-plug efficiency of 1.47%. The CW emission wavelength varies from 4.15 /spl mu/m at 80 K to 4.34 /spl mu/m at 298 K, corresponding to a temperature-tuning rate of 0.87 nm/K. The beam full-width at half-maximum values for the parallel and the perpendicular far-field patterns are 26/spl deg/ and 49/spl deg/ in CW mode, respectively.     

Low-threshold continuous-wave 1.5-/spl mu/m GaInNAsSb lasers grown on GaAs

We present the first continuous-wave (CW) edge-emitting lasers at 1.5 /spl mu/m grown on GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These single quantum well (QW) devices show dramatic improvement in all areas of device performance as compared to previous reports. CW output powers as high as 140 mW (both facets) were obtained from 20 /spl mu/m /spl times/ 2450 /spl mu/m ridge-waveguide lasers possessing a threshold current density of 1.06 kA/cm/sup 2/, external quantum efficiency of 31%, and characteristic temperature T/sub 0/ of 139 K from 10/spl deg/C-60/spl deg/C. The lasing wavelength shifted 0.58 nm/K, resulting in CW laser action at 1.52 /spl mu/m at 70/spl deg/C. This is the first report of CW GaAs-based laser operation beyond 1.5 /spl mu/m. Evidence of Auger recombination and intervalence band absorption was found over the range of operation and prevented CW operation above 70/spl deg/C. Maximum CW output power was limited by insufficient thermal heatsinking; however, devices with a highly reflective (HR) coating applied to one facet produced 707 mW of pulsed output power limited by the laser driver. Similar CW output powers are expected with more sophisticated packaging and further optimization of the gain region. It is expected that such lasers will find application in next-generation optical networks as pump lasers for Raman amplifiers or doped fiber amplifiers, and could displace InP-based lasers for applications from 1.2 to 1.6 /spl mu/m.     

2.0-/spl mu/m single-mode operation of InGaAs-InGaAsP distributed-feedback buried-heterostructure quantum-well lasers

Distributed-feedback (DFB) buried-heterostructure (BH) lasers with quantum-well active region emitting at 2.0 /spl mu/m have been fabricated and characterized. The lasers with four wells showed performance of practical use: threshold current as low as 15 mA for 600-/spl mu/m-long devices and CW single-mode output up to 5 mW at 2.03 /spl mu/m under operation current of 100 mA were observed. The current- and temperature-tuning rates of DFB mode wavelength are 0.004 nm/mA and 0.125 nm/K, respectively.     

Continuous-wave operation up to 36/spl deg/C of 1.3-/spl mu/m GaInAsP-InP vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We introduced ion-beam assisted deposition in order to improve the quality of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and SiO/sub 2/, which were used as part of the mirrors of 1.3-/spl mu/m GaInAsP-InP vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). The refractive index of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ was improved to 1.63 from 1.56 and the one of SiO/sub 2/ increased to 1.47 from 1.45. Low-threshold room-temperature continuous-wave (CW) operation of 1.3-/spl mu/m VCSEL with the improved mirrors was demonstrated. The threshold current was 2.4 mA at 20/spl deg/C. The CW operating temperature was raised to 36/spl deg/C, which is a record high temperature for 1.3-/spl mu/m VCSEL.     

Type-II interband cascade lasers in the 4.3-4.7-/spl mu/m wavelength region

Operation of type-II interband cascade lasers in the 4.3-4.7-/spl mu/m wavelength region has been demonstrated at temperatures up to 240 K in pulsed mode. These lasers fabricated with 150-/spl mu/m-wide mesa stripes operated in continuous-wave (CW) mode up to a maximum temperature of 110 K, with an output power exceeding 30 mW/f and a threshold current density of about 41 A/cm/sup 2/ at 90 K. The maximum CW operation temperature of 110 K is largely limited by the high specific thermal resistance of the 150-/spl mu/m-wide broad area lasers. A 20-/spl mu/m-wide mesa stripe laser was able to operate in CW mode at higher temperatures up to 125 K as a result of the reduced specific thermal resistance of a smaller device.     

Low-threshold high-T/sub 0/ 1.3-/spl mu/m InAs quantum-dot lasers due to p-type modulation doping of the active region

P-type doping is used to demonstrate high-To, low-threshold 1-3 /spl mu/m InAs quantum-dot lasers. A 5-/spl mu/m-wide oxide confined stripe laser with a 700-/spl mu/m-long cavity exhibits a pulsed T/sub 0/ = 213 K (196 K CW) from 0/spl deg/C to 80/spl deg/C. At room temperature, the devices have a CW threshold current of /spl sim/4.4 mA with an output power over 15 mW. The threshold at 100/spl deg/C is 8.4 mA with an output power over 8 mW.     

Room-temperature pulsed operation of 1.5-/spl mu/m vertical cavity lasers with an InP-based Bragg reflector

We report on a 1.5-/spl mu/m vertical-cavity laser that utilizes one GaInAsP-InP and one Si-SiO/sub 2/ mirror in combination with a strain-compensated GaInAsP quantum-well active layer. Pulsed lasing operation was achieved in a temperature range from -160 to +43/spl deg/C. The lasers exhibit 30-mA pulsed threshold current at room temperature. CW operation was obtained up to -25/spl deg/C.     

Continuous-wave operation of quantum cascade laser emitting near 5.6 /spl mu/m

Buried heterostructure quantum cascade lasers emitting at 5.64 /spl mu/m are presented. Continuous-wave (CW) operation has been achieved at -30/spl deg/C for junction down mounted devices with both facets coated. A 750 /spl mu/m-long laser exhibited 3 mW of CW power with a threshold current density of 5.4 kA/cm/sup 2/.     

Electrically pumped room temperature CW VCSELs with 2.3 /spl mu/m emission wavelength

Continuous wave (CW) operation at room temperature of electrically pumped InGaAlAs/InP vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) at emission wavelengths as high as 2.3 /spl mu/m is demonstrated for the first time. Devices with 15 /spl mu/m active region diameter show a maximum output power of 0.75 mW at 20/spl deg/C and a maximum CW operating temperature of 45/spl deg/C.     

Lasing characteristics of GaInAsP-InP strained quantum-well microdisk injection lasers with diameter of 2-10 /spl mu/m

We have obtained pulsed lasing operation in 2-5-/spl mu/m diameter microdisk injection lasers using GaInAsP-InP compressively-strained multiple-quantum-well (MQW) wafers around room temperature. The effective cavity volume of the 2-/spl mu/m-diameter device is the smallest among those for any type of electrically-pumped lasers. The threshold current of this device was as low as 0.2 mA. Cavity modes in emission spectra observed under CW conditions coincide well with theoretically predicted whispering gallery modes. Further reduction of diameter to less than 1.5 /spl mu/m will realize the condition for spontaneous emission almost coupling into a single mode, which results in thresholdless lasing operation.     

High-power continuous-wave operation of quantum-cascade lasers up to 60/spl deg/C

High-temperature high-power continuous-wave (CW) operation of high-reflectivity-coated 12-/spl mu/m-wide quantum-cascade lasers emitting at /spl lambda/ = 6 /spl mu/m with a thick electroplated Au top contact layer is reported for different cavity lengths. For a 3-mm-long laser, the CW optical output powers of 381 mW at 293 K and 22 mW at maximum operating temperature of 333 K (60/spl deg/C) are achieved with threshold current densities of 1.93 and 3.09 kA/cm/sup 2/, respectively. At 298 K, the same cavity gives a maximum wall plug efficiency of 3.17% at 1.07 A. An even higher CW optical output power of 424 mW at 293 K is obtained for a 4-mm-long laser and the device also operates up to 332 K with an output power of 14 mW. Thermal resistance is also analyzed at threshold as a function of cavity length.     

1.42 /spl mu/m continuous-wave operation of GaInNAs laser diodes

Continuous-wave (CW) operation of GaInNAs laser diodes in the 1.4 /spl mu/m range has been realised for the first time. A GaInNAs double quantum well separate confinement heterostructure was grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Threshold currents as low as 66 mA and external efficiencies as high as 0.29 W/A could be demonstrated in CW operation. Lasing was observed up to 150/spl deg/C and a characteristic temperature T/sub 0/ of 111K was demonstrated. The emission wavelength at room temperature was centred at 1417 nm.     

Continuous-wave operation of GaInAs-AlGaAsSb quantum cascade lasers

We report on the demonstration of continuous-wave (CW) operation of GaInAs-AlGaAsSb quantum cascade (QC) lasers. By placing a 2.5-/spl mu/m-thick gold layer on both sides of the laser ridge to extract heat from the active region in the lateral direction, together with mounting the device epilayer down, we have achieved CW operation of GaInAs-AlGaAsSb QC lasers composed of 25 stages of active/injection regions. The maximum CW operating temperature of the lasers is 94 K, and the emission wavelength is around /spl lambda//spl sim/4.65 /spl mu/m. For a device with the size of 10/spl times/2000 /spl mu/m/sup 2/, the CW optical output power per facet is 13 mW at 42 K and 4 mW at 94 K. The CW threshold current density is 1.99 kA/cm/sup 2/ at 42 K, and 2.08 kA/cm/sup 2/ at 94 K, respectively.     

Ridge-width dependence on high-temperature continuous-wave quantum-cascade laser operation

We report continuous-wave (CW) operation of quantum-cascade lasers (/spl lambda/=6 /spl mu/m) up to a temperature of 313 K (40/spl deg/C). The maximum CW optical output powers range from 212 mW at 288 K to 22 mW at 313 K and are achieved with threshold current densities of 2.21 and 3.11 kA/cm/sup 2/, respectively, for a high-reflectivity-coated 12-/spl mu/m-wide and 2-mm-long laser. At room temperature (298 K), the power output is 145 mW at 0.87 A, corresponding to a power conversion efficiency of 1.68%. The maximum CW operating temperature of double-channel ridge waveguide lasers mounted epilayer-up on copper heatsinks is analyzed in terms of the ridge width, which is varied between 12 and 40 /spl mu/m. A clear trend of improved performance is observed as the ridge narrows.     

Continuous-wave operation of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers

We report continuous-wave (CW) operation of a 4.4-THz quantum-cascade laser grown in the GaAs-AlGaAs materials system by molecular beam epitaxy. The device operates at 4 K with a threshold current of 160 mA, and an output power of /spl sim/25 /spl mu/W. In pulsed mode, the maximum operating temperature is 52 K, with a threshold current of 108 mA at 4 K. CW lasing was achieved by using a small cavity ridge area (60/spl times/600 /spl mu/m), and by coating one of the laser facets. These two features allowed for a substantial decrease of the threshold current and therefore reduced detrimental heating effects. The role played by the lateral resistance of the 800-nm GaAs layer underneath the active region was also investigated. Experimental data is presented showing that the temperature of the active region, which eventually hinders CW lasing, can be substantially influenced by the value of this lateral resistance.     

Low-temperature optimized vertical-cavity lasers with submilliamp threshold currents over the 77-370 K temperature range

We demonstrate an extended temperature range (77-370 K) of continuous wave (CW) operation for dielectrically-apertured double-intracavity-contacted vertical-cavity InGaAs strained QW lasers optimized for operation at cryogenic temperatures. Superior performance is achieved through the alignment of the cavity mode with the gain of the first and second quantized subbands at 77 K and room temperature, respectively. This design results in submilliamp threshold currents over a 77-370 K temperature range for 5.4-/spl mu/m diameter lasers. The threshold is 120 /spl mu/A and the output power is >8 mW at 77 K.     

Room temperature continuous-wave operation of buried ridge stripe lasers using InAs-InP (100) quantum dots as active core

Self-organized InAs quantum-dot (QD) lasers emitting at 1.5 /spl mu/m were grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy on (100) InP substrates. Room temperature continuous-wave (CW) operation of QD-based buried ridge stripe lasers is reported. We investigated experimentally the relevant CW performances of as-cleaved InP-based QD lasers for telecom applications such as temperature properties (T/sub 0/=56 K), infinite length threshold current density (J/sub /spl infin///spl sim/150 A/cm/sup 2/ per QDs layer) and internal efficiency (0.37 W/A). Lasing in pulsed mode is observed for cavity length as short as 200 /spl mu/m with a threshold current of about 37 mA, demonstrating the high gain of the QD's active core. In addition, the Henry parameter of these InP-based QD lasers is experimentally determined using the Hakki-Paoli method (/spl alpha//sub H//spl sim/2.2).     

MQW DBR lasers with monolithically integrated external-cavity electroabsorption modulators fabricated without modification of the active region

In this letter, we report the design and operation of multiple-quantum-well distributed Bragg reflectors (MQW DBR) lasers with monolithically integrated external-cavity electroabsorption (EA) modulators without modification of the active region fabricated using only a single growth step. Devices were fabricated with operating wavelengths of 1.06, 1.07, and 1.08 /spl mu/m, which are red-shifted from the material gain peak wavelength (/spl lambda/=1.05 /spl mu/m) by 100, 200, and 300 /spl Aring/, respectively. The /spl lambda/=1.06-/spl mu/m device has a continuous-wave (CW) threshold current of 16 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.09 W/A from the modulator facet, while the /spl lambda/=1.08 /spl mu/m device has a CW threshold current of 33 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.40 W/A from the modulator facet. The /spl lambda/=1.06-, 1.07-, and 1.08-/spl mu/m device exhibits an extinction ratio of /spl ges/20 dB at a modulator bias of 1.0, 1.4, and 2 V, respectively.     

Room-temperature continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers grown by MOCVD without lateral regrowth

We report on room-temperature continuous-wave (CW) operation of /spl lambda//spl sim/8.2 /spl mu/m quantum cascade lasers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition without lateral regrowth. The lasers have been processed as double-channel ridge waveguides with thick electroplated gold. CW output power of 5.3 mW is measured at 300 K with a threshold current density of 2.63 kA/cm/sup 2/. The measured gain at room temperature is close to the theoretical design, which enables the lasers to overcome the relatively high waveguide loss.     

Tunable twin-guide distributed feedback laser diodes with over 9 nm continuous electro-optic tuning range

Tunable twin-guide laser diodes at 1.55 /spl mu/m with a record electro-optic tuning range are presented. Employing an optimised device design, continuous tuning ranges of 9.3 and 11.0 nm are achieved in continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed operation, respectively. In CW operation, the output power of 300 /spl mu/m-long devices remains above 1 mW throughout the whole tuning range.