Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxial growth of InAs/InGaAs multiple quantum well structures on InP substrates

Device quality InAs/InGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) structures were grown on InP substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and applied to lasers emitting at wavelengths longer than 2 μm. InAs/InGaAs MQWs with flat interfaces were obtained by adjusting the growth temperature between 460°C and 510°C. The photoluminescence peak wavelength of the MQWs increases from 1.93 to 2.47 μm as the thickness of InAs quantum wells increases from 2 to 7 nm. The structural and optical properties remained almost unchanged even after annealing at 620°C. For 40-μm-wide stripe broad-area lasers with 5-nm-thick InAs quantum wells, a lasing wavelength longer than 2.3 μm and an output power higher than 10 mW were achieved under continuous-wave operation at a temperature of 25°C. These results indicate that InAs/InGaAs MQW structures grown by MOVPE are very useful for the active region of 2 μm wavelength lasers.