DEPENDENCE OF OPTICAL GAIN ON CRYSTAL ORIENTATION IN WURTZITE-GAN STRAINED-QUANTUM-WELL LASERS

Optical gains in wurtzite-GaN strained quantum-well (QW) lasers are es timated theoretically for various crystallographic directions. The cal culation of the valence subbands is based on the k.p theory, where def ormation potentials are determined by a semiempirical tight-binding me thod. It is found that the gains in GaN strained QW lasers with non-(0 001) orientations, particularly around the (10 (1) over bar 5) orienta tion, are markedly high and anisotropic, unlike those in (0001)-orient ed lasers. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.