Influence of ordering on the polarization characteristics of GaInP vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

We investigate the polarization characteristics of GaInP vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's) as a function of substrate misorientation and quantum-well strain. All the structures investigated show dominant polarization along the [110] direction. The polarization selectivity is found to be essentially independent of QW strain but increases significantly as the substrate misorientation is reduced from 10/spl deg/ to 3/spl deg/. These results provide clear experimental evidence that the major contribution to the polarization characteristics of GaInP VCSEL's is a consequence of ordering-induced gain anisotropy.