Abstract

The application of biaxial strain to direct bandgap semiconductors has a profound impact on the bandstructure and, consequently, on the optoelectronic properties of these materials. Compressively strained quantum well lasers generally have improved performance characteristics over unstrained lasers. The improvements essentially result from the bandstructure changes in the valence band due to compressive strain. The InP-based system is uniquely well suited to a study of the effects of biaxial tensile as well as compressive strain upon device performance. In multiple quantum well separate confinement heterostructure (MQW-SCH) lasers, strain allows the output wavelength to be independent of the well width. In this paper, the results of our theoretical and experimental studies of the carrier dynamics and modulation properties of strained In_xGa_1-xAs/InP (0.33≤x≤ 0.73) MQW-SCH lasers grown by CBE are reported. It is important to mention that only the In concentration in the wells is varied in the various structures in order to isolate the effect of strain.

© 1992 IQEC