High-power cw vertical-cavity top surface-emitting GaAs quantum well lasers

Abstract

We have devised a novel vertical‐cavity top surface‐emitting GaAs quantum well laser structure which operates at 0.84 μm. The laser combines peripheral current injection with efficient heat removal and uses only the epitaxially grown semiconductor layers for the output mirrors. The structure is obtained by a patterned deep H⁺ implantation and anneal cycle which maintains surface conductivity while burying a high resistance layer. Peripheral injection of current occurs from the metallized contact area into the nonimplanted nonmetallized emission window. For 10‐μm‐diam emitting windows, ∼4 mA thresholds with continuous‐wave (cw) room‐temperature output powers ≳1.5 mW are obtained. Larger diameter emitting windows have maximum cw output powers greater than 3 mW. These are the highest cw powers achieved to date in current injected vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers.