AlGaInN high-power lasers grown on an ELO-GaN layer

Epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO)-GaN substrates with dislocation-free regions can be prepared with a relatively small thickness using atmospheric pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In order to dete rmine the effect of ELO-GaN layer on the reliability of blue-violet laser d iodes (BV-LDs), we fabricated BV-LDs on the lateral-growth region of the EL O-GaN layer. The thickness of the ELO-GaN layer was maintained at 5 mum to inhibit wafer bending, so the total thickness of the BV-LDs was approximate ly 7 mum. The lifetime of the BV-LDs with a constant output power of 20 mW under CW operation at 25 degreesC was more than 500h. This lifetime is seve ral times that of our conventional BV-LDs on sapphire substrates. The ELO-G aN layer was very effective in raising the lifetime of BV-LDs. (C) 2000 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.