MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY GROWTH OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE MIDINFRARED DIODE-LASERS

Recent advances in the performance of GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb quantum-well d iode lasers have been directly related to improvements in the quality of the molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown epitaxial layers. These impr ovements have been based on careful measurement and control of lattice matching and intentional strain, changes in shutter sequencing at int erfaces, and a generally better understanding of the growth of Sb-base d epitaxial materials. By using this improved MBE-grown material, sign ificantly enhanced performance has been obtained for midinfrared laser s. These lasers, which are capable of approximately 2-mum emission at room temperature, presently exhibit threshold current densities of 143 A/cm2, continuous wave powers of 1.3 W, and diffraction-limited power s of 120 mW. Such high-performance midinfrared diode lasers are of int erest for a wide variety of applications, including eye-safe laser rad ar, remote sensing of atmospheric contaminants and wind turbulence, la ser surgery, and pumping of solid-state laser media.