Theory of InGaBiAs dilute bismide alloys for highly efficient InP-based mid-infrared semiconductor lasers

We present a theoretical analysis of the properties and performance of mid-infrared dilute bismide quantum well (QW) lasers grown on InP substrates. We analyse the band structure of strained InGaBiAs alloys and quantify their potential for the development of mid-infrared semiconductor lasers. In addition to identifying the permissible growth combinations for this class of laser structures, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the performance of a series of ideal laser structures. We investigate the variation of key material and device parameters on the alloy composition, QW thickness and epitaxial strain, and on this basis identify optimised laser structures for emission across the 3-5 μm wavelength range. Our theoretical analysis suggests that InP-based dilute bismide alloys are an extremely promising candidate material system for the development of highly efficient and temperature stable laser diodes operating in the mid-infrared, and also that this class of laser structures is highly compatible with existing InP-based device architectures.