Investigations on the performance of multiquantum barriers in short wavelength (630 nm) AlGaInP laser diodes

Al0.5In0.5P/Ga0.5In0.5P superlattice structures have been investigated as m ultiquantum barriers (MQB) in 630 nm band laser diodes in order to reduce t hermal current losses. By inserting an optimized MQB, we have succeeded in improving both threshold currents and characteristic temperatures of such d evices. However, the optimized dimensions of the MQB found experimentally d eviated strongly from those predicted theoretically, indicating that the co mmonly used theoretical description assuming effective mass approximation, electron wave interference, and using transfer matrix calculation is not ad equate. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)00615-4].