Journal of Applied Physics · 1979 · 82 citations · 7 references
EngineeringElectrical EngineeringMaterials ScienceOptoelectronicsSemiconductor DevicesSemiconductor MaterialsLaser PhysicsOptical Properties Of SemiconductorsOptoelectronic MaterialsSemiconductor HeterostructuresSemiconductor LasersSemiconductor PhysicsBand GapBand Gap EnergyCarrier Recombination DynamicsCurrent DensityEnergy Band GapHeterojunction DevicesHeterostructure OptoelectronicsTemperature Dependence
The temperature dependence of the threshold current has been examined for the double-heterojunction lasers (AlGa)As, (InGa) (AsP)/InP, and (InGaAs)/(InGa)P with emission wavelengths between 0.8 and 1.4 μm. For all lasers studied, the threshold current density was found to follow the exponential relationship Jth(T) ∝ exp(T/T0), where the constant T0 was found to be directly related to the energy-band-gap step, ΔEg, between the recombination region and the adjacent confining layers. The value of T0 was found experimentally to obey the relationship T0=AΔEg, with the constant A having values between 200 and 300 °K/eV for the three types of lasers studied.
7