CHAPTER 4

SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
AND LIGHT EMITTING DIODES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode_laser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED

September 2004
ASMS05 OF ELECTRICAL
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERINGUNIVERSITI
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA

4.1 The Semiconductor Laser

In many ways the ultimate optoelectronic source.

Provides high optical power
in a small package
at a low cost
low electrical power
The laser diode
has become the standard source for optical
communications.
We first deviate slightly from our discussion of coherent light sources
to bring in the light emitting diode (LED).
Both the LED and the Diode laser are based on forward biased
pn-junctions
both rely on phenomenon of injection luminescence for
their operation

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.2 Injection Luminescence

Luminescence - phenomenon of light emission from solid

materials
on excitation by some form of applied energy

The Light Emitting Diode (LED)

Emits light when a current is injected across a forward
biased pn-junction
Injection luminescence

In a normal pn-junction diode

spontaneous radiation (luminescence) represents lost
energy
Normal diode is designed to minimise this loss.
In a LED or LD
We want to exaggerate this effect.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

A thin depletion region or layer is formed at

the junction through carrier recombination
which effectively leaves it free of mobile
charge carriers (both electrons and holes).

Equilibrium situation
This establishes a potential barrier between the p and n
type regions which restricts the inter diffusion of majority
carriers from their respective regions

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.2 Injection Luminescence

On applying a forward voltage

across the ends of a pn-junction
the p-type is made positive with
respect to the n-type

The equilibrium situation is

disturbed.
The energy barrier is reduced

Because the barrier energy has

decreased, the diffusion current
must now exceed the drift current
gives rise to net flow of current
from p-side to n-side.
This current is known as the
injection current

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.2 Injection Luminescence

Holes in p-side and electrons in n-side can cross over to opposite

sides of junction
Holes which cross to n-side recombine with electrons in n-type
Electrons which cross to p-side recombine with holes in p-type
Excess energy produced by recombination emitted as
photons
spontaneous emission of radiation.
Effectively electrons drop from CB into VB
The longest wavelength which can be emitted,
corresponds to an electron dropping from bottom of CB to
top of VB.
Shorter wavelengths emitted when the electron drops
from higher energy states in CB.
Eg = E2 - E1 = hf , where h = 6.626 x 10-34 J s is Planck's constant
c = hc/Eg ;
where Eg is the energy of the bandgap.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.3 Light Emitting Diodes (LED's)

All pn junctions emit light on passage of forward biased current

Si & Ge are not efficient producers of light
Electrons & holes must first lose momentum before they can
recombine
indirect semiconductors

Compound semiconductors are better

e.g. GaAs, GaP, GaAlAs
Electrons & holes can directly recombine
direct semiconductors

In GaAs with a bandgap energy of 1.43 eV

Longest emitted wavelength is 860 nm

In practice, doping of the materials creates energy states inside

the bandgap
Gives shorter wavelengths than those predicted above
Peak emission wavelengths depend on material
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_(semiconductors)

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.3 The LED

More complex compounds such as GaAsxP1-x allow
selection of the bandgap width and,
hence, emission wavelength by varying the As:P ratio.

For pure GaP (x = 0) the band gap is 2.26 eV,

whereas, for pure GaAs (x = 1) the bandgap is about
1.44 eV,
providing a range of wavelengths between 550 and 860 nm.

Typical emission wavelengths for LEDs

GaAs 1.44 eV - 880 nm
GaP 2.26 eV - 550 nm or 700 nm
GaAsP - 580 nm or 660 nm
Si - 1100 nm
Ge - 1810 nm
Sb-Stibium
John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.3 The LED

LEDs can often prove a useful low cost alternative to the laser
diode.

Radiation emitted from diode results mainly from spontaneous

transitions.
low intensity radiation is emitted.

Construction of LEDs is slightly different from the laser diode

a shallow junction is fabricated to allow as much radiant emission
as possible to escape.

Several different methods of encapsulation of the junction are

employed to maximise the amount of light that can be emitted.
The type of encapsulation used influences the spatial profile of the
output beam.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.3.1 LED Structure

Light emission

Light emission
p-region
n-region

Metal contacts
SURFACE EMITTING LED

p-region
n-region

Metal contacts
EDGE EMITTING LED

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Surface emitting LED

Light emission
(some light will escape
into substrate)

5 m

Oxide
p-GaAs0.6P0.4

50 m

n-GaAs0.6P0.4
200 m

n-GaAs substrate

Metal contacts

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Te-Tellurium

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.3.2 Typical LED Parameters

The GaAs0.6P0.4 LED shown earlier
Emits in the red part of spectrum (650 nm)
Powers can be a few hundred W to tens of mW
Newer high irradiance LEDS can produce Watts of
cw power
Radiation is broadband around 50 nm full width
Drive currents between few mA to a few hundred mA
needed
Beam divergences often determined by the
encapsulation
Geometries devised to reduce losses at
interfaces and to minimise total internal
reflection
John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4 Semiconductor Lasers (Laser Diodes)

Fundamentally different from other lasers (gas lasers)

Formed from heavily doped pn-junctions
Based on modified LED structure

To achieve laser action, need to ensure high concentration of e-h

pairs available for recombination
Achieved by high doping concentrations across junction
Long spontaneous lifetime materials enhance stimulated emission

Laser diodes constructed so that light emerges from ends rather

than through the wide gap
narrow active layer contains holes across the whole length
ends are cleaved, polished and made flat & parallel
light, which is spontaneously generated, is reflected back & forth
causing stimulated emission

High current densities are needed to produce stimulated emission

& population inversion

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4 Laser Diode

END VIEW
Active region
(light emission)

SIDE VIEW
Heavily doped n-region

Metal contacts

Oxide
Light emission
n-region
p-region

Sides are roughened

Ends are cleaved and polished

LASER DIODE

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.1 Practical Laser Diodes

The first operational laser diode consisted of a single crystal of

GaAs

To create a population inversion and enhance possibility of

recombination
high levels of doping are necessary to ensure that, in the depletion
region,
filled states in the CB are directly above empty states in VB

This applies only across a very narrow region of the depletion

area,
about 1 nm wide, known as the active layer.

The narrow active layer contains holes across the whole length
of the crystal.

Its ends are cleaved, polished and made flat & parallel and the
sides are roughened to trap light inside crystal.
This forms the optical cavity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_cavity

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.1 Practical Laser Diodes

Light, which is spontaneously generated,

is reflected back & forth causing stimulated
emission.

The onset of lasing is characterized by a

specific injection current known as the
threshold current.
current
Below this threshold, Ith, light emission will be
spontaneous and incoherent.

For a significant gain, a high current density of

the order of several hundred A mm-2 is
necessary.
These early lasers had lifetimes of only a few
hundred hours and required cooling by liquid
nitrogen for efficient operation.

Laser action

LED action

Ith

These are known as homojunction lasers

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.2 Single Heterojunction Laser Diodes

Improvements - modifications to simple single junction

(homojunction) structure.
By surrounding the active layer with regions of lower
refractive index than the active layer itself,
laser emission (gain) is horizontally confined to this narrow
junction region where it can stimulate more photons.
This is a kind of waveguide effect.

Single heterojunction (SH) structures can produce short laser

pulses with peak powers as high as a few Watts for injection
currents in the 1 to 40 A range.
Loss
n-GaAs
Gain

p-GaAs

p-GaAlAs
Refractive index

Radiation field

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTYENGINEERING
OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF
ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.3 Double Heterojunction Laser Diodes

Further improvements with double heterojunction
(DH) diode.
Reducing the active region even further and
sandwiching between a double layer
Confines gain to an even narrower region
threshold currents down to hundreds of milliamps
efficient operation in both pulsed and continuous modes.

Loss

N-GaAlAs
n-GaAs
p-GaAs

Gain
Loss

P-GaAlAs
Refractive index

Radiation field

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.3 Double Heterojunction - Example

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.4 Stripe (Index-guided) Lasers

Further confinement of the gain improves this further
Gain region confined to a narrow vertical stripe as well as in
the active area
Index-guiding or Gain-guiding
Collectively known as stripe lasers
Index-guided structures vary refractive in vertical as well as
horizontal plane
Beam is confined both vertically and horizontally

Oxide
Active region n-GaAlAs

p-GaAlAs
n-GaAlAs

n-GaAlAs

n-GaAlAs
Substrate n-GaAlAs

Metal contacts

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.4.5 Stripe (Gain-guided) Lasers

Gain-guided lasers achieve a similar performance
by restricting the current flow through the diode
Highly resistive regions channel the current through a
narrow strip
emission of light confined to narrow active region

p-GaAlAs
Highly
resistive

n-GaAlAs
Current through device
n-GaAs

Highly
resistive
Active region n-GaAs
Metal contacts

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Heterojunction
Laser
Structures

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

The Laser Diode

Laser diodes are produced across a wide range of wavelengths

such as 633, 770, 809 nm, 1.1 or 1.3 m depending on the
material and structure.
For example, AlGaInP, GaAlAs, InGaAsP
Powers range from a few mWs to several Ws cw.

Most semiconductor lasers are edge emitters

Typical active layers are 500 m long by 1 m thick and tens
of m wide
Newer structures like Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) and
Distributed Feedback (DFB)
Pulsed powers up to 100s of Watts peak.
The lower injection currents, tens of milliamps, prolong
operational life.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

DFB Laser Diode

An optical grating is incorporated
into the heterostructure waveguide
to provide periodic variations in
refractive index along the direction
of wave propagation so that
feedback of optical energy. The
corrugated grating may be applied
over the whole active length of the
device where it gives what is known
as distributed feedback and
eliminates the need for end mirrors.
The characteristics of this type of
laser is that it has a smaller spectral
width and its output wavelength is
more stable and linear. It is also less
temperature independent.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Diode Laser Structures

Semiconductor Lasers

Edge emitters
(single-element & arrays)

Homojunction

Stripe

DH

Surface emitters
(mostly arrays)

SH

Planar cavity

Vertical cavity

Broad area

Gain-guided

Index-guided

Variety of structures

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Other Structures Quantum Well

Quantum well lasers
Utilise fact that an energy well can be formed at bottom of
CB and top of VB
High densities of electrons & holes can collect in respective
bands
Population inversion obtained more easily
Lower threshold currents, smaller active areas
Low temperature sensitivity
Replacing DH lasers

Also seen as multiple quantum well (MQW) lasers

Adjacent quantum wells couple together and increase
thickness of active layer
Reduces loss in surrounding regions

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Other Structures Vertical Cavity

Vertical cavity lasers
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSEL)
Resonant cavity is in plane of active layer
Photons have a very short path length (< 1 m) in active
region
Need high reflectance mirrors to overcome losses

Active layer could be SQW or MQW

Low thresholds, symmetrical beam profiles, high
temperature stability
Divergence angle of 7 - 10

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Sony Laser
Diode

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Sony Laser
Diode

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.6 Efficiency
There are a number of ways in which the operational efficiency of the
semiconductor laser may be defined.
1. Total efficiency (external quantum efficiency), T is defined as:
T

total number of output photons

total number of injected electron

2. The external power efficiency of the device ep in converting electrical

input to optical output is given by:

ep

Pe
=
100 %
P
Eg
100 %
= T
V

where P=IV is the d.c. electrical input power and Pe = power emitted
John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.6 Efficiency
The optical power emitted, Pe into a medium of low refractive
index, n from the face of a planar LED fabricated from a material of
refractive index nx , is given approximately by:

Pe =

P int Fn
4 n x2

where Pint is the power generated internally and F is the

transmission factor of the semiconductor-external interface.
Hence it is possible to estimate the percentage of optical power emitted.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.7 MODULATION BANDWIDTH

The modulation bandwidth in optical communications may be defined in
either electrical or optical terms.
Assuming a Gaussian
frequency response:

f
2

where
B = electrical BW
f = optical BW

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Other Structures LED

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Other Structures LED

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.7. SEMICONDUCTOR LASER VERSUS LED

When deciding whether to choose an LED or an LD as the light
source in a particular optical communication system, the main
features to be considered are the following:
 The optical power versus current characteristics of the two
devices differ considerably.
 Near the origin the LED characteristic is linear, although it
becomes non-linear for larger power values.
 However, the laser characteristic is linear above the threshold.
 Linearity of the source is important for analog systems, but is
less important for digital systems.
 The power-to-current characteristic of an LD depends greatly
on temperature, but this dependence is not so great for an LED.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.7. SEMICONDUCTOR LASER VERSUS LED

 The power supplied by both devices

is similar (about 10 20 mW).
 However, the maximum coupling
efficiency of a fiber is much smaller
for an LED than for an LD; for an LED
it is (5 10)%, but for an LD it can be
up to 90%.
 This difference in coupling efficiency
has to do with the difference in
radiation geometry of the two
devices.

Temperature Effects on LD Output Power

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.7. SEMICONDUCTOR LASER VERSUS LED

As an LED emits spontaneous radiation, the speed of modulation
is limited by the spontaneous recombination time of the carriers.
LEDs have a large capacitance and modulation BW are not very
large (a few hundred MHz).
For a LD above the threshold the electrons remain in the CB for a
very short time, due to the stimulated recombination; therefore,
very fast modulation is possible (up to 10 GHz).
LDs have narrower spectra than LEDs, and the single-mode lasers,
in particular have a very narrow spectrum.
This explains why the pulse broadening at transmission through
an optical fiber is very small.
Therefore, with an LD as a light source, wideband transmission
systems can be designed.
John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

4.7. SEMICONDUCTOR LASER VERSUS LED

Changes of power output for an LD with temperature can be
prevented by stabilizing the heat sink temperature with a Peltier
element and a control circuit.
LD generally requires more complicated electronic circuits than
for an LED.
LEDs can withstand power overloading for short duration better
than LDs.
At current prices, LEDs are less expensive than LDs.
LEDs are generally very reliable and lifetime of 105 hours or 11
years are comman for good LEDs if operated within the limits
(power, voltage, current and temperature).

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Table 1 - Comparison of LEDs and Lasers

Characteristic

LEDs

Lasers

Output Power

Linearly proportional
to drive current

Proportional to current
above the threshold

Current

Drive Current: 50 to
100 mA Peak

Threshold Current: 5
to 40 mA

Coupled Power

Moderate

High

Speed

Slower

Faster

Output Pattern

Higher

Lower

Bandwidth

Moderate

High

Wavelengths
Available

0.66 to 1.65 m

0.78 to 1.65 m

Spectral Width

Wider (40-190 nm
FWHM)

Narrower (0.00001 nm
to 10 nm FWHM)

Fiber Type

Multimode Only

SM, MM

Ease of Use

Easier

Harder

Lifetime

Longer

Long

Cost

Low ($5-$300)

High ($100-$10,000)

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

LED/LD Performance Characteristics

Several key characteristics LED/lasers determine their usefulness in a given
application.
Peak Wavelength: This is the wavelength at which the source emits the most power.
It should be matched to the wavelengths that are transmitted with the least
attenuation through optical fiber. The most common peak wavelengths are 1310,
1550, and 1625 nm.
Spectral Width: Ideally, all the light emitted from a laser would be at the peak
wavelength, but in practice the light is emitted in a range of wavelengths centered
at the peak wavelength. This range is called the spectral width of the source.
Emission Pattern: The pattern of emitted light affects the amount of light that can be
coupled into the optical fiber. The size of the emitting region should be similar to
the diameter of the fiber core.
Power: The best results are usually achieved by coupling as much of a source's
power into the fiber as possible. The key requirement is that the output power of the
source be strong enough to provide sufficient power to the detector at the receiving
end, considering fiber attenuation, coupling losses and other system constraints. In
general, lasers are more powerful than LEDs.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

LED/LD Performance Characteristics

Speed: A source should turn on and off fast enough to meet the bandwidth limits of
the system. The speed is given according to a source's rise or fall time, the time
required to go from 10% to 90% of peak power. Lasers have faster rise and fall times
than LEDs.
Linearity is another important characteristic to light sources for some applications.
Linearity represents the degree to which the optical output is directly proportional
to the electrical current input. Most light sources give little or no attention to
linearity, making them usable only for digital applications. Analog applications
require close attention to linearity. Nonlinearity in lasers causes harmonic distortion
in the analog signal that is transmitted over an analog fiber optic link.

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Analog LED Drive Circuits

Digital LED Drive Circuits

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004

Analog Laser Drive Circuits

Digital Laser Drive Circuits

John Watson
ASMS05
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRICALProf.
ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
FACULTY
OF ELECTRICAL
UNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI
MALAYSIA
September
2004