Single quantum wire semiconductor lasers

Single quantum wire GaAs/AlGaAs injection lasers were fabricated using organometallic chemical vapor deposition on V-grooved GaAs substrates. The quantum wire active region has a crescent-shaped cross section ∼100 Å thick and less than 1000 Å wide. Amplified spontaneous emission and lasing spectra of the quantum wire lasers exhibit effects due to transitions between quasi-one-dimensional subbands separated by ∼10 meV. Single quantum wire laser structures with tight optical confinement exhibited threshold currents as low as 3.5 mA for uncoated devices at room temperature.