ROOM-TEMPERATURE CW OPERATION OF II-VI LASERS GROWN ON ZNSE SUBSTRATES CLEANED WITH HYDROGEN PLASMA

Hydrogen plasma cleaning was applied for ZnSe homoepitaxial growth alo ng with a novel wet etching technique for ZnSe substrates. The depende ncies of etch-pit density (EPD) on RF power and cleaning temperature w ere investigated; for RF power below 250 W, the EPD is suppressed to a bout 1 x 10(5)/cm(2), and the optimum temperature range is between 260 and 280 degrees C. The EPD of ZnSe film grown on ZnSe substrate clean ed at 260 degrees C and 220 W for 20 min is 2.7 x 10(4)/cm(2). SCH II- VI laser diodes (LDs) containing ZnMgSSe cladding layers were fabricat ed on semi-insulating ZnSe substrates cleaned under the optimum condit ions. LDs with HR coating on both facets demonstrate CW oscillation at room temperature. Typical threshold current and wavelength are 84 mA and 517 nm, respectively. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re served.