AlGaInP/GaAs red edge-emitting diodes for polymer optical fiber applications

Pulsed and cw operation of AlGaInP/GaAs graded refractive index separate confinement heterostructure edge light-emitting diodes fabricated from epitaxial structures grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy is reported. The device consists of an active region of a single 100 Å quantum well of ternary Ga0.5In0.5P and 1600-Å-thick lattice-matched confining layers of quaternary (AlxGa1−x)0.5In0.5P. A coupled power of −10 dBm at 100 mA into a 500 μm polymer optical fiber of 0.48 NA is realized in a package consisting of a graded refractive index lens with uncoated facets from a 60×300 μm mesa-shaped stripe geometry diode. The 10–90% rise and fall times at 100 mA with a 5 mA prebias were measured to be 5 ns. Higher launched powers are expected to result from improvements in the materials growth, facet coatings, and packaging techniques.