Temperature-dependent performance of 1.55 /spl mu/m vertical-cavity lasers with InGaAsP/InP bottom mirror

Abstract

We have fabricated and evaluated a long-wavelength vertical-cavity laser (VCL) based on an epitaxially integrated InP distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) under continuous wave (CW) and pulsed conditions. We conclude that, for an InP-DBR-down configuration, the high temperature performance is limited by the heat conductivity of the bottom mirror. The highest operating temperature for CW and pulsed condition is 17/spl deg/C and 101/spl deg/C respectively, indicating a substantial self-heating for CW. To investigate the prospect for improved performance in other mounting configurations, we have applied a two-dimensional finite element analysis to the heat transfer problem. It is suggested that for top-side-down mounting with the AlGaAs/GaAs DBR closest to the heat sink, a performance comparable to that of so called double-fused VCLs could be possible.