Room-temperature continuous-wave operation in the telecom wavelength range of GaSb-based lasers monolithically grown on Si

Abstract

We report on electrically pumped GaSb-based laser diodes monolithically grown on Si and operating in a continuous wave (cw) in the telecom wavelength range. The laser structures were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on 6°-off (001) substrates. The devices were processed in coplanar contact geometry. 100 μm × 1 mm laser diodes exhibited a threshold current density of 1 kA/cm-2 measured under pulsed operation at 20 °C. CW operation was achieved up to 35 °C with 10 μm × 1 mm diodes. The output power at 20 °C was around 3 mW/uncoated facet, and the cw emission wavelength 1.59 μm, in the C/L-band of telecom systems.