Low-threshold surface-emitting laser diodes with distributed Bragg reflectors and current blocking layers

Abstract

AlGaAs/GaAs surface-emitting laser diodes (SELDs) with distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and current blocking layers are fabricated with the combination of a two-step epitaxial growth and the reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) technique. An Al0.1Ga0.9As/Al0.7Ga0.3As multilayer and an amorphous silicon (a-Si)/silicon dioxide (SiO2) multilayer are employed for the lower and upper mirrors, respectively. The active region has a 5×5 μm or 4 μm φ area and a 0.8 μm thickness. The minimum threshold current is 3.3 mA under pulsed condition and 4.1 mA under continuous wave (cw) operation at 12 °C with junction-side-up configuration. Stable single longitudinal mode is observed, and far-field pattern (FFP) indicates higher transverse mode operation.