Nanoengineered InAs quantum dot active medium for laser diodes

Nanoengineering approach was used to develop an efficient active medium based on self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) for laser diodes operating at elevated temperatures. Photoluminescence (PL), transmission electron microscopy, and electroluminescence were used to study the influence of an overgrowth procedure on the properties of multiple-layer QDs. Optical properties of QDs were optimized by the adjustment of a GaAs overlayer thickness prior to a heating step, responsible for the truncation of the pyramid-shaped QDs. Triple-layer QD edge-emitting lasers with 1220 nm emitting wavelength exhibited a maximum saturated modal gain of 16 cm ^-1. To use truncated QD active medium for vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, seven layers of QDs with 20 nm of short period superlattice barriers between layers was developed. A wavelength of 1190 nm edge-emitting lasers with 120 nm total thickness 7×QDs active medium showed almost two times higher maximum saturated gain, 31 cm ^-1. Unfortunately, these lasers with closer distance between QD layers in active medium demonstrated stronger temperature dependence (with T _o = 110 K) of threshold current density and lasing wavelength. A record high characteristic temperature for lasing threshold, T _o = 380 K up to 55 C, was measured for edge-emitting laser diodes, which contained triple-layer truncated QD active medium. We believe that AlAs capping in combination with truncation procedure result in significant suppression of carrier transport between QDs within each layer as well as between QD in different layers.