Experimental investigation of physical mechanisms underlying lateral current injection laser operation

By comparing theoretical prediction with experimental performance, we gain insight into the physical operation of lateral current injection lasers. By studying the temperature dependence of lasing stimulated efficiency, we demonstrate the influence of lateral heterobarriers (achieved in this experiment by quantum well intermixing) on the confinement of carriers to the active region. By comparing the evolution of threshold current with temperature for devices of differing contact separations with a self-consistent model of lateral current injection laser operation, we reveal the importance of the interplay between the lateral material gain profile and the optical mode. Understanding these mechanisms, unique to the lateral injection family of lasers, is key to realizing the tremendous potential of this class of lasers to enable optoelectronic integration and novel functional devices.