Low-damage etched/regrown interface of strain-compensated GaInAsP/InP quantum-wire laser fabricated by CH4/H2 dry etching and regrowth

GaInAsP/InP strain-compensated five-layered quantum-wire lasers with the wire width of 23 nm were fabricated by electron-beam lithography, CH4/H2-reactive ion etching and organometallic vapor-phase-epitaxial regrowth, and the quality of the etched/regrown interface was evaluated from the spontaneous emission efficiency dependence on the active region width in comparison with that of unetched quantum-well lasers. As a result, the product of the surface recombination velocity and the carrier lifetime at the etched/regrown interface was estimated to be less than 3 nm at room temperature. Finally, no noticeable degradation in the spontaneous emission efficiency of this quantum-wire laser was observed within measurement temperature from 25 °C to 85 °C.