Influence of auger recombination on the temperature sensitivity of bulk and strained quantum well 1.3-um semiconductor lasers

Mark Silver; A. F. Phillips; Eoin P. O'Reilly; Alfred R. Adams

doi:10.1117/12.238994

1 May 1996 Influence of auger recombination on the temperature sensitivity of bulk and strained quantum well 1.3-μm semiconductor lasers

Mark Silver, A. F. Phillips, Eoin P. O'Reilly, Alfred R. Adams

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2693, Physics and Simulation of Optoelectronic Devices IV; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.238994
Event: Photonics West '96, 1996, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

The temperature sensitivity of the threshold current of 1.3 micrometer semiconductor lasers, denoted by the characteristic temperature T₀, has remained low, with values ranging from 40 K up to a maximum of order 100 K. We report here on a combined theoretical and experimental analysis to identify the dominant factors contributing to this poor temperature sensitivity. We have determined directly the temperature dependence of the radiative current density, J_rad, by measuring the integrated spontaneous emission, L, from bulk and strained quantum well buried heterostructure devices. We find an effective T₀ for J_rad of around 200 K for the bulk device and around 300 K for the quantum well device, in good agrement with the theoretical prediction for ideal lasers. This radiative temperature dependence compares with the measured T₀ of around 50 - 60 K for the total threshold current density in both devices, from which we conclude that radiative recombination is not the dominant mechanism of the temperature sensitivity of the laser. We also find from the spontaneous emission data that just below threshold L varies with current I as I varies direct as L^3/2, which is expected in the Boltzmann approximation if auger recombination is the dominant current path. We have used these findings to estimate T₀ from as simple analytic expression we have derived and find values at room temperature of 40 - 100 K, in agreement with experiment. This poor T₀ results both from the temperature dependence of the differential gain and by the major contribution of auger recombination to the total threshold current.

Citation Download Citation

Mark Silver, A. F. Phillips, Eoin P. O'Reilly, and Alfred R. Adams "Influence of auger recombination on the temperature sensitivity of bulk and strained quantum well 1.3-μm semiconductor lasers", Proc. SPIE 2693, Physics and Simulation of Optoelectronic Devices IV, (1 May 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.238994

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