GaInAsP/InP Partially Strain-Compensated Multiple-Quantum-Wire Lasers Fabricated by Dry Etching and Regrowth Processes

Abstract

This paper reports the structural properties and lasing characteristics of GaInAsP/InP multiple-quantum-wire lasers fabricated by electron beam lithography, CH 4 /H 2 -reactive ion etching and organometallic vapor-phase-epitaxial regrowth. Good size distributions of multiple-quantum-wire structures (wire widths of 18 nm and 27 nm in a period of 80 nm) have been obtained with standard deviations less than ±2 nm. We have confirmed that low-damage etched/regrown interfaces of quantum-wire structures can be realized by using a partially strain-compensated quantum-well structure. Threshold current densities of 5-quantum-well wirelike lasers (wire widths of 43 nm and 70 nm) were found to be lower than that of the quantum-film laser, fabricated from the same initial wafer, due to a volume effect at temperatures up to 85°C. Finally, room temperature (RT)-continuous wave (CW) operation of multiple-quantum-wire lasers (wire width of 23 nm in a period of 80 nm, 5-stacked quantum-wires) was achieved, and the good reliability of this quantum-wire laser was demonstrated for the first time by means of lifetime measurement under the RT-CW condition.