Optoelectronic characterization of laser diodes with different electrode structures

Purpose This paper aims to improve the device performance from the perspective of reducing ohmic contact resistance; the effects of different electrode structures and alloying parameters on the series resistance and power-current-voltage of laser diodes (LDs) have been investigated in this paper. Design/methodology/approach Four groups of p -GaAs side metal electrodes with different metal layer arrangements and thicknesses are fabricated for the investigated LDs. The investigated p -GaAs side electrodes are based on Ti/Pt/Au material and the n -GaAs side metal electrodes all have a same structure of Ni/Ge/Ni/Au/Ti/Pt/Au. The LDs with different electrodes were alloyed at 380°C for 60 s and 420°C for 80 s. Findings The experimental results show that the series resistance decreases by 14%–20%, the output power increases by 2%–2.2% and the conversion efficiency increases by 1.69%–2.16% for the LDs prepared with optimized alloying parameters (420°C for 80 s). The laser diode with p -GaAs side Ti/Pt/Au electrode of 30/70/100 nm has the best device characteristics under both annealing conditions. Originality/value The utilization of this improvement on ohmic contact property in electrode is not only very important for upgrading high-power LDs but also helpful for GaAs-based microelectronic devices such as HBT and monolithic microwave integrated circuit.