Low threshold current density, highly strained InGaAs laser grown by MOCVD

It is possible to delay the growth mode transition from a 2-D growth mode to 3-D growth mode (the so-called Stranski–Krastanov growth mode) by means of non-equilibrium growth process employing a low growth temperature and a high growth rate, and adopting a high V/III ratio simultaneously to maintain crystal quality. Record emission wavelengths in multiple InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells without a strain-compensated barrier are grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). An InGaAs vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) with emission spectrum up to 1.26 μm under CW operation has been realized. Optimizing the quality of InGaAs QWs leads to a low threshold current density. The qualities of the highly strained InGaAs QWs of this VCSEL structure, such as internal quantum efficiency, internal loss, and transparency current density, were investigated by standard broad area (BA) laser process. Combined with an extensive gain-cavity detuning and the high-quality InGaAs QWs, the InGaAs VCSEL, we believe, is a promising candidate for application to long wavelength, low-cost source fiber-optical communication systems.