PARTIAL SCREENING OF INTERNAL ELECTRIC-FIELDS IN STRAINED PIEZOELECTRIC QUANTUM-WELL LASERS - IMPLICATIONS FOR OPTOELECTRONIC INTEGRATION

The spectral electroluminescence characteristics of broad-area (Al) Ga As/In0.23Ga0.77As/(Al)GaAs single quantum well separate confinement he terostructure lasers grown on (111)B GaAs have been studied under forw ard biased current injection. A room-temperature threshold current den sity of 750 A/cm(2) is measured for a 1000 mu m laser. The subthreshol d electroluminescence spectrum blue shifts with increasing current up to the point of lasing threshold. Our measurements reveal that lasing is achieved while there is a strong residual or ''unscreened'' electri c held across the quantum well. Based on these observations we outline how piezoelectric quantum wells can be used to monolithically integra te a quantum well laser with a blue-shifting electroabsorption modulat or. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.