27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.

prz

Dublin Institute of Technology

School of Electronic and

Communications Engineering

Optical Communications Systems

Semiconductor Laser Diodes
Dr. Gerald Farrell
Unauthorised usage or reproduction strictly prohibited
Copyright 2002, Dr. Gerald Farrell, Dublin Institute of Technology

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Laser Structures

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
Unauthorised usage or reproduction strictly prohibited, Copyright 2002, Dr. Gerald Farrell, Dublin Institute of Technology

Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Semiconductor Laser Structures

A wide variety of laser structures have evolved, with the aim of reduced
thresholds, improved efficiency and narrow spectral output:

Basic broad area laser

Stripe geometry laser
Gain guided laser
Index guided laser
Single frequency laser
Multi-section laser
Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Double Heterostructure
The double heterostructure is one of the most basic Laser structures.
Typical 5 layer structure is shown below.
Bandgap energy is higher in the confinement regions, resulting in a concentration of radiative
recombination in the lower bandgap energy active region, improving efficiency.
Refractive index in the confinement region is lower, resulting in optical confinement within the
active region.

Electrode

Refractive
index profile

Contact region

p-GaAs
p-AlGaAs

Confinement
regions

Light output normal to

page

n-AlGaAs

Active Layer
n-GaAs

n-GaAs

Heterojunctions
Electrode

Contact region

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Broad Area DH Injection Lasers

In this simple early laser structure the DH structure confines the light to the active region
in the vertical direction.
Lasing still takes place across the whole width of the device, hence it is called a broad
area laser.
Low quantum efficiency, by comparison with more advanced designs, resulting in high
threshold current values.
Output light geometry is unsuitable for coupling to fibre.
Contact metallization

p -AlGaAs
n+ -GaAs

n-AlGaAs

p -GaAs
Active Layer

Light Output
n+ -GaAs

Confinement Layers
Cleaved Mirror

Roughened sides

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Gain Guided Lasers

Laser structures are designed to keep the threshold as low as possible, with a high efficiency
and a narrow output beam.
Two basic design approaches are gain guiding and index guiding.
In a gain guided laser the current flow is restricted to a narrow stripe by placing high resistivity
regions within the contact regions.
Gain guiding is not very successful, thresholds are high, >100mA, with low differential quantum
efficiencies and non-linear kinks in the output characteristic.
Electrode
p-GaAs
Confinement
regions

High resistivity
region

p-AlGaAs

n-AlGaAs

Active Layer
n-GaAs

n-GaAs

Heterojunctions
Electrode

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
Unauthorised usage or reproduction strictly prohibited, Copyright 2002, Dr. Gerald Farrell, Dublin Institute of Technology

Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

DH Stripe Geometry Lasers

Stripe formed by inclusion of insulation layers, thus most of the current enters the active
region in a narrow stripe that runs the length of the device.
Result is a narrow emission region, with a lower lasing threshold and a narrower output
beam.
Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Index Guided Lasers

Index guiding overcomes most of the disadvantages of gain guided designs.
In an index guided structure the active region is surrounded by a region of lower
refractive index, confining the photons to a narrow stripe, in both the transverse and
vertical directions.
Several designs have emerged including the ridge waveguide (weakly index guided)
and buried heterostructure (BH) (fully index guided) designs.
Typically the threshold currents lie in the region of 10-20 mA for BH lasers, with active
regions a couple of microns wide.

Buried heterostructure laser

diode

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Twin Section Lasers

Two distinct sections, based on split anode contacts.
Forward biased section is so-called gain section.
Other section is left unconnected or reversed biased, called the absorber.
Produces hysteresis in the light-current characteristic and repetitive self-pulsation.
Numerous optical signal processing applications, including all optical frequency changing.
Gain Section
Absorber Section

Active Region

Basic Fabry-Perot twin section laser

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Twin section Laser

Characteristics
Twin section lasers can also exhibit
repetitive on-off behaviour, called
self-pulsation.

Twin section laser light-current curve,

displays hysteresis
Results in two distinct states, potentially
useful for optical memory and logic

10

Proposed applications include all-optical

synchronisation for frequency
multiplication / division and clock
extraction.

Light

O/P
6
5 mV/div

Intensity
(a.u..)

I/P

2
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Gain section current (mA)

1 ns/div

Trace shows all-optical frequency

multiplication by 2:1

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Laser
Characteristics

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
Unauthorised usage or reproduction strictly prohibited, Copyright 2002, Dr. Gerald Farrell, Dublin Institute of Technology

Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Laser Efficiency
Defined in a number of ways:
Basic internal laser quantum efficiency i is defined as:

i =

number of photons produced in the laser cavity

number of injected electrons

Laser differential efficiency d is defined as the ratio of the increase in the

photon output for a given increase in the number of injected electrons:
Approximate
expression

d =

dPe
dI.(Eg)

where dPe is the change in the optical power emitted

from the device, dI is the change in input current and Eg
is the bandgap energy.

Total laser efficiency t is defined as (with approximate expression):

t =

total number of output photons

total number of injected electrons

Pe
I.(Eg)

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Laser Characteristics: Threshold

All Semiconductor laser diodes have a
light current characteristic, with a defined
threshold current.

Light output
Saturation

Below the threshold spontaneous

emission dominates
Beyond the threshold, where stimulated
emission dominates, the differential
quantum efficiency increase dramatically.
The threshold current by convention is
the intercept on the current axis of a line
drawn along the characteristic, as shown

Stimulated
emission regime

Spontaneous
emission regime

Injection current
Laser threshold current
Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Temperature Dependence (I)

The threshold current is highly

temperature dependent.
The temperature dependence of the
laser threshold is proportional to
T/T o.
T is the absolute temperature in
degrees Kelvin
T o is the so called characteristic
temperature
T o depends on the active region
material.

Laser temperature in
degrees C
10 mW

10 20 30 40 50 60

7.5 mW

Light
Output 5 mW

2.5 mW

0 mW
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

DC current
(mA)

Light output versus input current

characteristic at various temperatures for
an InGaAsP laser

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Temperature Dependence (II)

Laser temperature in
degrees C

In general the threshold current density Jth

temperature dependence is :

10 mW

10 20 30 40 50 60

7.5 mW

Light
Output 5 mW

Jth

is proportional to

T
exp
To

2.5 mW

0 mW
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

DC current
(mA)

Light output versus input current characteristic at

various temperatures for an InGaAsP laser

To is about 120 to 190 degrees K for AlGaAs devices,

InGaAsP devices have a stronger dependence with To values of 40 to 75 degrees K

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Temperature Dependence
Problem

1. The threshold for an InGaAsP laser diode is measured and is found to

be 31 mA and 34 mA for a device temperatures of 20 C and 25 C
respectively.
2. Show clearly how the above information can be used to derive an
approximate value for the characteristic temperature of the laser.
3. If this laser diode is used in system which drives the laser with a
constant current of 50 mA, what is the maximum device temperature
permissible if the laser is to operate above threshold?

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Temperature Dependence
Solution (I)
Solution: In general the threshold current density J th temperature dependence is given by:
Jth = A exp (T/T o )
where A is a constant. Assuming that the distribution of current within the laser is not strongly
temperature dependent then the laser threshold (I th) temperature dependence can be approximated by:
I th = B exp (T/T o)
where B is some constant. Assuming that at two temperatures T1 and T 2 the laser threshold currents are
I 1 and I 2 respectively then:

I 1 [T 1 T 2 ]
ln =
To
I 2

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Temperature Dependence
Solution (II)

Based on the measurements provided the value of To, the characteristic temperature is 54.1 K. If the
device is to lase at 50 mA, then the threshold must be less than 50 mA. If the maximum temperature at
which lasing will occur is Tx then (temperatures in K) :

50 mA [Tx 298]
ln
=
34
mA
To

Substituting for To and solving for Tx gives Tx = 318.8 K or 45.8 C.

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Laser Diode Optical Spectrum

Laser diodes generally display multiple longitudinal modes (multimode)
Gain guided lasers are multimode at all drive currents levels
With index guided lasers several modes exist near threshold, but as current increases
one or two modes dominate.
True singlemode lasers have only one mode

Gain guided
laser diode
Sharp LT023

Index guided
laser diode
Sharp LT022

Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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Source: Master 4_3

27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Single Frequency Lasers

Demand for ultra-narrow, so called single frequency, laser diodes is increasing for a
number of reasons, including low dispersion and frequency division multiplexing.
One of the most popular types is the Distributed Feedback Laser (DFB).
Instead of feedback from the cleaved ends of the laser, an internal diffraction grating
is fabricated within the laser, the period of which sets the operating
frequency/wavelength. Linewidths of 10-50 MHz have been demonstrated.
Multisection lasers have been developed which are tunable by electrical bias.

Bias Tuning
of a
Multisection
DFB
Distributed Feedback
Laser diode
Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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27/02/02 2.4 Semicdr Laser diode structures and characteristics.prz

Laser Modulation Bandwidth

All semiconductor laser diodes exhibit a so-called relaxation oscillation
Current pulse injected into the laser produces an optical output pulse exhibiting
relaxation oscillation
Relaxation oscillation can be seen as a resonance frequency for the interchange of
energy between photons and carriers
Relaxation oscillation normally sets the limit on the modulation frequency of the laser
(0.5 to 10 GHz)
time
Current pulse input to laser

time
Optical pulse, with relaxation oscillation
Optical Communications Systems, Dr. Gerald Farrell, School of Electronic and Communications Engineering
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