Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser
Although photoluminescence from gallium-arsenide (GaAs) deep-centers was first observed in the 1960s, semiconductor lasers have always utilized conduction-to-valence-band transitions. Here we review recent materials studies leading to the first GaAs deep-center laser. First, we summarize well-known...
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doaj-1e85bb032c6c4796b7594446aaaa4ce92020-11-24T23:32:44ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442009-10-01241599163510.3390/ma2041599Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center LaserJanet L. PanAlthough photoluminescence from gallium-arsenide (GaAs) deep-centers was first observed in the 1960s, semiconductor lasers have always utilized conduction-to-valence-band transitions. Here we review recent materials studies leading to the first GaAs deep-center laser. First, we summarize well-known properties: nature of deep-center complexes, Franck-Condon effect, hotoluminescence. Second, we describe our recent work: insensitivity of photoluminescence with heating, striking differences between electroluminescence and photoluminescence, correlation between transitions to deep-states and absence of bandgap-emission. Room-temperature stimulated-emission from GaAs deep-centers was observed at low electrical injection, and could be tuned from the bandgap to half-the-bandgap (900–1,600 nm) by changing the electrical injection. The first GaAs deep-center laser was demonstrated with electrical injection, and exhibited a threshold of less than 27 mA/cm2 in continuous-wave mode at room temperature at the important 1.54 μm fiber-optic wavelength. This small injection for laser action was explained by fast depopulation of the lower state of the optical transition (fast capture of free holes onto deep-centers), which maintains the population inversion. The evidence for laser action included: superlinear L-I curve, quasi-Fermi level separations satisfying Bernard-Duraffourg’s criterion, optical gains larger than known significant losses, clamping of the optical-emission from lossy modes unable to reach laser action, pinning of the population distribution during laser action. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/2/4/1599/laser actionstimulated emissionelectroluminescencehotoluminescencegallium-arsenidedeep-centers |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Janet L. Pan |
spellingShingle |
Janet L. Pan Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser Materials laser action stimulated emission electroluminescence hotoluminescence gallium-arsenide deep-centers |
author_facet |
Janet L. Pan |
author_sort |
Janet L. Pan |
title |
Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser |
title_short |
Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser |
title_full |
Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser |
title_fullStr |
Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser |
title_full_unstemmed |
Progress to a Gallium-Arsenide Deep-Center Laser |
title_sort |
progress to a gallium-arsenide deep-center laser |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Materials |
issn |
1996-1944 |
publishDate |
2009-10-01 |
description |
Although photoluminescence from gallium-arsenide (GaAs) deep-centers was first observed in the 1960s, semiconductor lasers have always utilized conduction-to-valence-band transitions. Here we review recent materials studies leading to the first GaAs deep-center laser. First, we summarize well-known properties: nature of deep-center complexes, Franck-Condon effect, hotoluminescence. Second, we describe our recent work: insensitivity of photoluminescence with heating, striking differences between electroluminescence and photoluminescence, correlation between transitions to deep-states and absence of bandgap-emission. Room-temperature stimulated-emission from GaAs deep-centers was observed at low electrical injection, and could be tuned from the bandgap to half-the-bandgap (900–1,600 nm) by changing the electrical injection. The first GaAs deep-center laser was demonstrated with electrical injection, and exhibited a threshold of less than 27 mA/cm2 in continuous-wave mode at room temperature at the important 1.54 μm fiber-optic wavelength. This small injection for laser action was explained by fast depopulation of the lower state of the optical transition (fast capture of free holes onto deep-centers), which maintains the population inversion. The evidence for laser action included: superlinear L-I curve, quasi-Fermi level separations satisfying Bernard-Duraffourg’s criterion, optical gains larger than known significant losses, clamping of the optical-emission from lossy modes unable to reach laser action, pinning of the population distribution during laser action. |
topic |
laser action stimulated emission electroluminescence hotoluminescence gallium-arsenide deep-centers |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/2/4/1599/ |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT janetlpan progresstoagalliumarsenidedeepcenterlaser |
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