High-temperature HgTe/CdTe multiple-quantum-well lasers

While most previous studies of Hg-based mid-IR lasers have focused on either bulk Hg1-xCdxTe alloys or thick (> 100 Angstrom) Hg1-xCdxTe quantum wells with relatively large x, we show that much thinner (20-30 Angstrom) HgTe binary wells may be engineered to suppress both Auger recombination and intervalence free carrier absorption. On the basis of detailed numerical simulations, we predict 4.3 mu m cw emission at temperatures up to 220 K for optical pumping and 105 K for diode operation. In pulsed mode, we expect maximum lasing temperatures more than 100 K higher than any prior Hg-based mid-IR result. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.