HIGH-PERFORMANCE LAMBDA= 1.3 MU-M INGAASP-INP STRAINED-LAYER QUANTUM-WELL LASERS

Compressively and tensile strained InGaAsP-InP MQW Fabry-Perot and Dis tributed Feedback lasers emitting at 1.3-mum wavelength are reported. For both signs of the strain, improved device performance over bulk In GaAsP and lattice-matched InGaAsP-InP MQW lasers was observed. Tensile strained MQW lasers show TM polarized emission, and with one facet hi gh reflectivity (HR) coated the threshold currents are 6.4 and 12 mA a t 20 and 60-degrees-C, respectively. At 100-degrees-C, over 20-mW outp ut power is obtained from 250-mum-cavity length lasers, and HR-coated lasers show minimum thresholds as low as 6.8 mA. Compressively straine d InGaAsP-InP MQW lasers show improved differential efficiencies, CW t hreshold currents as low as 1.3 and 2.5 mA for HR-coated single- and m ultiple quantum well active layers, respectively, and record CW output powers as high as 380 mW for HR-AR coated devices. For both signs of the strain, strain-compensation applied by oppositely strained barrier and separate confinement layers, results in higher intensity, narrowe r-linewidth photoluminescence emissions, and reduced threshold current s. Furthermore, the strain compensation is shown to be effective for i mproving the reliability of strained MQW structures with the quantum w ells grown near the critical thickness. Linewidth enhancement factors as low as 2 at the lasing wavelength were measured for both types of s train. Distributed feedback lasers employing either compressively or t ensile strained InGaAsP-InP MQW active layers both emit single-mode ou tput powers of over 80 mW and show narrow linewidths of 500 kHz.