INFLUENCE OF ORDERING ON THE POLARIZATION CHARACTERISTICS OF GAINP VERTICAL-CAVITY SURFACE-EMITTING LASERS

We investigate the polarization characteristics of GaInP vertical-cavi ty surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's) as a function of substrate misori entation and quantum-well strain, All the structures investigated show dominant polarization along the [110] direction, The polarization sel ectivity is found to be essentially independent of QW strain but incre ases significantly as the substrate misorientation is reduced from 10 degrees to 3 degrees. These results provide clear experimental evidenc e that the major contribution to the polarization characteristics of G aInP VCSEL's is a consequence of ordering-induced gain anisotropy.