Improving structure design of active region of InAs quantum dots by using InAs/GaAs digital alloy superlattice

A 1.3-& mu;m InAs quantum dot laser has been successfully fabricated on a GaAs(100) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique through using InAs/GaAs digital alloy superlattices instead of the conventional InGaAs layer. The samples grown by conventional growth method and the digital alloy superlattice growth method are characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. It is found that 8-period sample possesses a low quantum dot density and poor luminescence performance. With the increase of the number of growth periods, the quantum dot density of the sample increases and the luminous performance improves. This indicates that the quality of the grown sample improves with the increase of InAs/GaAs period of the InGaAs layer. When the total InAs/GaAs period is 32, the quantum dot density of the sample is high and the luminescence performance is good. After the experimental measurement, the sample DAL-0 fabricated by conventional growth method and the sample DAL-32 (32-periods InAs/GaAs digital alloy superlattices) are utilized to fabricate quantum dot laser by standard process. The performances of two types of quantum dot lasers obtained with different growth methods are characterized. It is found that the InAs quantum dot lasers fabricated by the sample grown by digital alloy superlattice method have good performances. Under continuous wave operation mode, the threshold current is 24 mA corresponding to a threshold current density of 75 A/cm2. The highest operation-temperature reaches 120 celcius. In addition, InAs quantum dot laser using digital alloy superlattice has good temperature stability. Its characteristic temperature is 55.4 K. Compared with the traditional laser, the InAs quantum dot laser grown by InAs/GaAs digital alloy superlattice has good performance in terms of threshold current density, output power and temperature stability, which indicates that high-quality laser can be obtained by this growth method. Using the InAs/GaAs digital alloy superlattice growth method, the InGaAs composition can be changed without changing the temperature of the source oven. Thus InAs quantum dot lasers with different luminescence wavelengths can be obtained through this growth method. The InAs/GaAs digital alloy superlattice structure can be used to realize different averaging of In content in the growth structure. The method provides a new idea for designing and growing the active region of quantum dot laser.