Martin Martens

Performance Characteristics of UV-C AlGaN-Based Lasers Grown on Sapphire and Bulk AlN Substrates

The performance characteristics of optically pumped laser heterostructures emitting in the UV-C spectral range between 272 and 279 nm are investigated. The laser heterostructures were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy on (0001) planar AlN/sapphire, epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO) AlN/sapphire, and bulk AlN substrates with threading dislocation densities ranging from 2×1010 to 104 cm-2. We found that the defect density strongly affects the laser performance. The lowest pulse threshold energy density of 50 mJ/cm2 under resonant optical pumping condition was obtained for an AlGaN multiple quantum well laser grown pseudomorphically on low defect density bulk AlN substrate. Lasing was also observed for AlGaN MQW heterostructures grown on ELO AlN/sapphire templates. The laser emission in all lasers was TE polarized. However, no lasing was observed for heterostructures grown on high defect density AlN/sapphire.

Low-threshold stimulated emission at 249 nm and 256 nm from AlGaN-based multiple-quantum-well lasers grown on sapphire substrates

Optically pumped deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lasing with low threshold was demonstrated from AlGaN-based multiple-quantum-well (MQW) heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates. The epitaxial layers were grown pseudomorphically by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on (0001) sapphire substrates. Stimulated emission was observed at wavelengths of 256 nm and 249 nm with thresholds of 61 kW/cm2 and 95 kW/cm2 at room temperature, respectively. The thresholds are comparable to the reported state-of-the-art AlGaN-based MQW DUV lasers grown on bulk AlN substrates emitting at 266 nm. These low thresholds are attributed to the optimization of active region and waveguide layer as well as the use of high-quality AlN/sapphire templates. The stimulated emission above threshold was dominated by transverse-electric polarization. This work demonstrates the potential candidacy of sapphire substrates for DUV diode lasers.

High gain ultraviolet photodetectors based on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures for optical switching

We report on the optoelectronic properties of Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN-based ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors for the application as a high current, high gain optical switch. Due to an internal gain mechanism combined with the high conductivity of the two-dimensional electron gas at the heterostructure interface, photocurrents in the milliampere-range were obtained with UV illumination. By employing a mesa structure design with meander geometry very low dark currents below 50 nA up to a bias voltage of 100 V were achieved. Optical switching with an on/off-current-ratio of five orders of magnitude was demonstrated. The response time was determined to be 6 ms and persistent photoconductivity was observed. The photodetector is visible-blind with a cut-off wavelength of 365 nm according to the band gap energy of the GaN absorption layer. A high responsivity with a maximum of 70 A/mW at 312 nm and 100 V bias voltage was demonstrated.

Low absorption loss p-AlGaN superlattice cladding layer for current-injection deep ultraviolet laser diodes

Current injection into AlGaN-based laser diode structures with high aluminum mole fractions for deep ultraviolet emission is investigated. The electrical characteristics of laser diode structures with different p-AlGaN short period superlattice (SPSL) cladding layers with various aluminum mole fractions are compared. The heterostructures contain all elements that are needed for a current-injection laser diode including cladding and waveguide layers as well as an AlGaN quantum well active region emitting near 270 nm. We found that with increasing aluminum content in the p-AlGaN cladding, the diode turn-on voltage increases, while the series resistance slightly decreases. By introducing an SPSL instead of bulk layers, the operating voltage is significantly reduced. A gain guided broad area laser diode structure with transparent p-Al0.70Ga0.30N waveguide layers and a transparent p-cladding with an average aluminum content of 81% was designed for strong confinement of the transverse optical mode and low optical losses. Using an optimized SPSL, this diode could sustain current densities of more than 4.5 kA/cm2.

Optically Pumped DFB Lasers Based on GaN Using 10th-Order Laterally Coupled Surface Gratings

An optically pumped GaN-based laser structure with 10th-order laterally coupled surface grating is demonstrated. The fabrication involved i-line photolithography and dry etching, avoiding more complex technologies such as multiple epitaxy steps. The lasing threshold of the laterally coupled distributed-feedback (LC-DFB) laser was similar to that of a ridge waveguide Fabry-Perot (RW-FP) laser. Single-peak emission with a full width at half maximum of 0.06 nm at 404.2 nm was achieved for LC-DFB lasers. In contrast to the RW-FP lasers, the LC-DFB laser is shown to exhibit a smaller shift of the emission wavelength with temperature.

UV-C Lasing From AlGaN Multiple Quantum Wells on Different Types of AlN/Sapphire Templates

AlGaN multiple quantum well lasers for optical pumping have been grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy on high and low dislocation density AlN/sapphire templates. Lasers on planar templates exhibited high dislocation densities and high V-pit densities, but a smooth surface morphology leading to inefficient, but laterally very homogeneous optical emission. Lasing was not observed when optically pumped with up to 50 MW/cm2. Epitaxially laterally overgrown templates on patterned sapphire showed much lower dislocation densities, but also step bunching on the surface. This resulted in good photoluminescence efficiencies of up to 20%, but also in a higher lateral inhomogeneity of the emission. Lasers on these templates exhibited lasing at ~240 nm with low full-width at half-maximum of 1 nm and threshold power densities of 11-15 MW/cm2.

Effect of ridge waveguide etch depth on laser threshold of InGaN MQW laser diodes

The laser threshold and lateral mode confinement of blue (440 nm) InGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) laser diodes have been investigated. Ridge-waveguide (RW) laser diodes with different ridge etch depth ranging from 25 nm above the active region (deep-ridge waveguide) to 200 nm above the active region (shallow-ridge waveguide) have been fabricated. The comparison of devices with the same resonator length shows that the threshold current densities are significantly lower for deep-ridge waveguide laser diodes. The difference in lasing threshold becomes more eminent for narrow ridges, which are required for single mode operation. For shallow-ridge devices the threshold current density increases by more than a factor of three when the ridge width is decreased from 20μm to 1.5μm. For the deep-ridge waveguide devices instead, the lasing threshold is almost independent of the ridge waveguide width. The effect has been analyzed by 2D self-consistent electro-optical simulations. For deep-ridge devices, the simulated thresholds and far-field patterns are in good agreement with the simulations. For shallow-ridge devices, however, questionable theoretical assumptions are needed. Two possible causes are discussed: extremely large current spreading and strong index anti-guiding.

Index-Antiguiding in Narrow-Ridge GaN-Based Laser Diodes Investigated by Measurements of the Current-Dependent Gain and Index Spectra and by Self-Consistent Simulation

The threshold current density of narrow (1.5 μm) ridge-waveguide InGaN multi-quantum-well laser diodes and the shape of their lateral far-field patterns strongly depend on the etch depth of the ridge waveguide. Both effects can be attributed to strong index-antiguiding. The value of the antiguiding factor R = 10 is experimentally determined near threshold by measurements of the current-dependent gain and refractive index spectra. The device performances are simulated self-consistently, solving the Schrödinger-Poisson equations and the equations for charge transport and waveguiding. Assuming a carrier-induced index change that matches the experimentally determined antiguiding factor, both the measured high-threshold current and the shape of the far-field pattern of lasers with shallow ridges can be reproduced theoretically.

Influence of Carrier Lifetime, Transit Time, and Operation Voltages on the Photoresponse of Visible-Blind AlGaN Metal--Semiconductor--Metal Photodetectors

We investigated the influence of lifetime and transit time of photogenerated carriers on the performance of visible-blind Al0.25Ga0.75N metal–semiconductor–metal photodetectors by a combination of experimental studies and numerical simulations. Good agreement between simulated and measured current–voltage (I–V) characteristics was achieved for several geometries of the interdigitated contact structure. Simulations of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) at low bias voltages showed that a long hole lifetime in the AlGaN absorption layer significantly influences the EQE due to the slow carrier transit in weak electric fields. At 1 V the EQE can be enhanced by a factor of 3 by increasing the hole lifetime from 10 ps to 1 ns. Reducing the electrode spacing from 10 to 1 µm as well as operating the device at higher voltages additionally increases the ratio between carrier lifetime and transit time, resulting in an enhancement of the EQE at a fixed carrier lifetime by one order of magnitude.

The effects of magnesium doping on the modal loss in AlGaN-based deep UV lasers

Absorption losses in the Mg-doped layers significantly contribute to the modal losses in group-III-nitride-based lasers. In this paper, we investigate the influence of Mg-doping on the modal absorption of optically pumped UVC lasers grown on epitaxially laterally overgrown AlN/sapphire substrates with an averaged threading dislocation density of 1 × 109 cm–2. By varying the setback of the Mg-doping (∼1 × 1020 cm−3) within the upper Al0.70Ga0.30N waveguide layer, the overlap of the optical mode with the Mg-doped region increases. For all structures, internal losses were derived from gain spectra obtained by the variable stripe length method. The internal losses increase from 10 cm−1 for lasers without Mg-doping to 28 cm−1 for lasers with a fully Mg-doped upper waveguide layer. The overlap of the optical mode with the Mg-doped waveguide ΓMg clearly correlates with the modal losses. This allows to calculate the Mg-induced losses in current injection laser diodes by α m o d M g = Γ M g × 50 cm − 1.