Capture of photoexcited carriers by a laser structure

The capture of photoexcited carriers in different laser structures is investigated by subpicosecond luminescence spectroscopy. The capture time at 20 and 80 K is monitored by the decay of the luminescence of the confinement layers. It is found to range between 2 and 3 ps for both linear and parabolic grading, and to be much longer in nongraded structures. The improvement of the capture in the case of graded structures is due to the quasi-electric field experienced by the carriers, and might allow the devices to run at much higher frequencies.