Masato Mushiage

Single-Longitudinal-Mode Selfaligned (AlGa)As Double-Heterostructure Lasers Fabricated by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Single-longitudinal-mode selfaligned (AlGa)As double-heterostructure (DH) lasers were fabricated by two-step molecular beam epitaxial technique. The AlGaAs surface was protected by a GaAs thin layer during the photolithographic process. The GaAs was thermally etched selectively just prior to regrowth in the MBE system. There was no problem associated with the regrowth of AlGaAs using this GaAs passivation technique. The room temperature CW threshold current for a device with a 200 µm-long and 3 µm-wide stripe was 40 mA. The emission wavelength was 780 nm and a fundamental transverse mode was achieved.

MBE as a production technology for AlGaAs lasers

Abstract We are the first to succeed in the mass production of AlGaAs visible-wavelength semiconductor laser on a commercial basis using MBE. Single-transverse-mode self-aligned AlGaAs double heterostructure (DH) lasers were fabricated by a two-step molecular beam epitaxial technique. A GaAs layer was thermally etched selectively in the MBE system just prior to regrowth. There was no problem associated with the regrowth of an AlGaAs layer after the thin GaAs passivation layer was removed. This self-aligned structure by MBE affords high control of transverse and longitudinal modes, which results in high quality laser for various applications such as compact disc, video disc, laser beam printer and optical memory disc.