Stimulated emission and laser oscillations in ZnSe-Zn1−<i>x</i>Mn<i>x</i>Se multiple quantum wells at ∼453 nm

Abstract

In this letter we report the first observation of stimulated emission and laser oscillations occurring in ZnSe-Zn1−xMnxSe quantum well structures. The results were obtained in superlattices consisting of alternating layers of ZnSe and Zn1−xMnxSe on a ZnSe buffer layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs. Gain spectra were measured on these samples and thresholds for stimulated emission determined for various emission wavelengths. Optically pumped lasers were fabricated from one of these quantum well structures and found to operate in the blue portion of the visible spectrum from 451.5 to 455 nm. Lasing was observed up to 80 K.