Improved photoluminescence and lasing performances of MOVPE grown GaInAsN-based long wavelength lasers

GaInAsN material grown on GaAs substrate have received a large amount of interest for several years as an alternative material system to the well matured GaInAsP/InP semiconductor system, especially for 1.3 /spl mu/m emission. However, a specific degradation of the photoluminescence properties of GaInAsN quantum wells (QW), and consequently of the lasing threshold of GaInAsN-based lasers, occurs due to the N incorporation. In this paper, we have investigated in detail the growth parameters of GaInAsN grown by MOVPE using dimethylhydrazine (DMHy) as nitrogen precursor. We have established that optimized growth conditions further away from standard parameters can lead to a strong improvement of both PL and lasing characteristics. Thus, a low-pressure MOVPE process combined with low growth temperature and growth rate, as well as the choice of specific low cracking temperature group-V and III precursors such as DMHy, TBAs and TEGa are essential to achieve GaInAsN material suitable for laser devices. By this way, we have achieved lasing at 1.26 /spl mu/m with a threshold current density as low as 540A/cm/sup 2/.