Midinfrared photoluminescence from IV-VI semiconductors grown on silicon

Above room temperature continuous wave midinfrared photoluminescence has be en observed from PbSe/Pb1-xSrxSe multiple quantum well structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on (111) silicon. Emission energy from a sample with 10-nm-thick quantum wells varied from 336.1 to 343.7 meV as sample tempera ture was increased from 15 to 35 degreesC. At a heat sink temperature of 25 degreesC the emission energy varied from 336.8 to 339.9 meV as the current in the near-infrared diode pump laser was increased from 300 to 800 mA ind icating an additional 8.2 degreesC of epilayer heating due to increased pho ton flux from the pump laser. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.