Room-temperature continuous-wave vertical-cavity single-quantum-well microlaser diodes

Abstract

Room-tempeTature continuous and pulsed lasing of verticalcavity, single-quantum-well, surface-emitting microlasers is achieved at μ983nm. The active Ga0.8In0.2As single quantum well is 100 Å thick. These microlasers have the smallest gain medium volumes among lasers ever built. The entire laser structure is grown by molecular beam epitaxy and the microlasers are formed by chemically assisted ionbeam etching. The microlasers are 3–50μm across. The minimum threshold currents are 1.1 mA (pulsed) and l.5mA(CW).