Abstract

Leakage current increases threshold, decreases external efficiency and reduces temperature stability of the semiconductor laser. Heterobarrier leakage in InGaAsP/InP lasers was given detailed experimental and theoretical consideration and the design approach for its reduction was developed.^1–4 The details of lateral leakage are determined by the device design and several different mechanisms can contribute to the net lateral leakage current. In ridge devices both current spreading in the cladding^v and carrier diffusion in the active region^vi have been considered. In buried heterostructure (BH) lasers both of these mechanisms are suppressed. However, in capped mesa buried heterostructure (CMBH) devices lateral leakage can be significant and has been associated with the complex character of the voltage drop across current blocking layers.^7–9

© 2001 Optical Society of America