Deconvolution of the intrinsic spontaneous spectrum of vertical-cavity surface-emitting devices

A simple method for determining the intrinsic spontaneous spectrum of vertical-cavity surface-emitting devices is presented. The procedure is based on angle-resolved measurements of the top-emission spectra and comparison with numerical simulations, which corresponds to a deconvolution. The use of this technique is demonstrated on AlGaInP-based microcavity light-emitting diodes designed for top emission at 650 nm. Measurement on reference light-emitting diodes having the same active region confirmed the accuracy of this method which is nondestructive, easy to implement, and can be applied to vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers operating below threshold.