Гетероструктуры квантово-каскадных лазеров с неселективным заращиванием методом газофазной эпитаксии

The possibility of fabrication of 4.6 µm spectral range quantum-cascade laser heterostructures by molecular-beam epitaxy technique with non-selective overgrowth by the metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy is shown. The active region of the laser was formed on the basis of a heteropair of In0.67Ga0.33As/In0.36Al0.64As solid alloys. The waveguide claddings are formed by indium phosphide. The results of surface defects inspection and X-ray diffraction analysis of quantum-cascade laser heterostructures allow to conclude that the structural quality of the heterostructures is high and the estimated value of the root mean square surface roughness does not exceed 0.7 nm. Lasers with four cleaved facets exhibit lasing at room temperature with a relatively low threshold current density of the order of 1 kA /cm2.

Применение покрытий AlN для защиты поверхности гетероструктур системы AlGaAs/GaAs от взаимодействия с атмосферным кислородом

The paper presents the results of the synthesis of thin aluminum nitride films by reactive ion-plasma sputtering and the study of their properties with the aim of using as the protective coatings for the high-power AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs semiconductor laser heterostructures. EDS studies and ellipsometry showed that at a residual pressure in the chamber of the order of ~10-5 Torr, a layer of aluminum oxynitride is formed in the films. In this case, the film-substrate heterointerface can undergo oxidation. However, AlN films with a thickness of the order of 100 nm grown in a pure nitrogen medium with a residual pressure of ~10-7 Torr apparently do not contain oxygen, and can reliably prevent its penetration into the heterointerface region. Potentially, they can serve as effective protection for oxidation sensitive heterostructures.