A numerical study of characteristic temperature of short-cavity 1.3-μm AlGaInAs/InP MQW lasers

Optical properties of a 1.3-μm AlGaInAs/InP strained multiple quantum-well structure with an AlInAs electron stopper layer, which is located between the active region and the p-type graded-index separate confinement heterostructure layer, are studied numerically with a LASTIP simulation program. Specifically, the effect of the electron stopper layer on the characteristic temperature and the temperature dependence of the slope efficiency are investigated. Various physical parameters at different operating temperatures are adjusted so that the threshold currents of the simulated laser structure can be matched to the experimental results of an identical laser structure fabricated by Selmic et al. The simulation results suggest that, with the use of a p-type Al0.5In0.5As electron stopper layer and a strain-compensated active region consisting of Al0.175Ga0.095In0.73As (6 nm)/Al0.32Ga0.2In0.48As (10 nm), a characteristic temperature as high as 108.7 K can be achieved for a 250-μm-long AlGaInAs/InP laser.