High-temperature operation of periodic index separate confinement heterostructure quantum well laser

High-temperature operation of the InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers with an expanded vertical optical mode is demonstrated for the first time using a periodic index separate confinement heterostructure (PINSCH) laser. Continuous wave (cw) operation up to 145 °C is achieved with a coated 3 μm×508 μm PINSCH laser. The measured characteristic temperature (170 K) and external differential quantum efficiency (0.75 mW/mA) are comparable to those obtained in a graded index separate confinement heterostructure laser fabricated at the same time. These results illustrate the excellent capability of the PINSCH laser to compress the transverse beam divergence without sacrificing the electrical carrier confinement.