Short-wavelength current tuning of InAsSb/InAsSbP heterostructure lasers caused by an injection nonuniformity

A reduction in the emission wavelength in the preferred mode of InAsSbP/InAsSb/InAsSbP heterostructure lasers by 50 Angstrom is observed when the current is raised from 1.8 to 5 times the threshold with dc and pulsed power. A comparison of the spectral and spatial distributions of the output as functions of current shows that this short-wavelength tuning is caused by a change in the distribution of the nonequilibrium charge carrier concentration over the strip width as the current is varied. This effect is modeled mathematically, taking into account the increase in the injection density and the drop in the output intensity from the middle to the sides of the waveguide. The results of the model calculation are in good agreement with experiment. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063- 7826(99)01609-9].