Abstract

Semiconductor quantum wires are attracting attention not only because they exhibit interesting 1-D optical physics but also because they may improve the performance of optical devices. The increased quantum confinement in the quantum wires concentrates the electronic density of states into a narrow wavelength region resulting in enhanced optical properties. For example, lasers using quantum wires are expected to exhibit lower current thresholds, higher modulation bandwidths, and narrower spectral widths compared to quantum well or bulk lasers. This makes a quantum wire laser, such as the recently demonstrated quantum wire microcavity laser,¹ an attractive device for a variety of applications in communications, optical processing, and optical interconnects.

© 1995 IEEE