Stripe-width dependence of threshold current for gain-guided AIGaInN laser diodes

• Applied Physics Letters

The threshold current density of narrow-stripe gain-guided nitride laser diodes increases very rapidly as the stripe width is made narrow. To examine this behavior, waveguide simulations, incorporating the complex refractive indices associated with optical gain, have been used to analyze the lateral optical modes of gain-guided laser diodes. Threshold current was then determined from the gain-current relationship of our laser material, which was obtained experimentally. These evaluations reveal that gain guiding, coupled with a carrier-induced index depression, offer a reasonable explanation for the rapid increase in threshold when the stripe width becomes less than 5 µm

citation

Bour, D. P. ; Kneissl, M .; Romano, L. T. ; Donaldson, R. M. Dunrowicz, C. J.; Johnson, N. M. ; Evans, G. A. Stripe-width dependence of threshold current for gain-guided AlGaInN laser diodes. Applied Physics Letters; 1999 January 18; 74 (3): 404-406.