PASSIVE TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION OF UNCOOLED GAINASP-INP DIODE-LASERSUSING THERMAL-STRESS

Strain arising from differential thermal expansion may be used to comp ensate the effects of rising temperature and stabilize the operating p roperties of diode lasers. We have demonstrated this using a 1.58-mu m GaInAsP-InP multiquantum-well (MQW) laser mounted on a bimetallic hea tsink, obtaining nearly complete stabilization of the modal wavelength and a threshold current equivalent characteristic temperature of 133 K over the temperature range of 20 degrees C-70 degrees C. The results are successfully modeled by a gain calculation that considers the eff ects of strain produced by both lattice-mismatched epitaxy and externa l uniaxial stress.