STIMULATED-EMISSION AT 300-K FROM PHOTOPUMPED GAN GROWN BY PLASMA-ASSISTED MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY WITH AN INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE

GaN epilayers have been grown on basal plane (0001) sapphire by plasma -assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with a novel, inductively coupl ed nitrogen plasma source. Films grown at 700 degrees C generate stimu lated emission at 300 K when optically pumped in vertical geometry wit h similar to 3.5 eV (lambda 355 nm) photons. The extrapolated pump pow er threshold is similar to 3.6 MW cm(-2) which corresponds to an absor bed value of 700 kW cm(-2) and a peak carrier number density of simila r to 4 x 1019 cm-3. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.