Communicated by T. PaskovaKeywords: A3. Superlattice B3. Quantum cascade lasers A3. Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy B2. Semiconducting III-V materials a b s t r a c t Metamorphic buffer layers (MBLs) were used as substrates with lattice constants selected for designing and fabricating intersubband transition sources involving strained superlattices (SLs) such as Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs). Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) was used to prepare the InGaAs-based MBLs for epitaxial growth. Indium enrichment of the InGaAs layer on the MBL surfaces was observed when annealed at the regrowth temperatures. This post-anneal enhancement was eliminated by including a wet-etch treatment after CMP, which results in an epi-ready surface for regrowth. Ten stages of a QCL core region structure, designed for emission at a 3.4 μm wavelength are regrown on a surfaceoptimized MBL. Such structures exhibit well defined X-ray diffraction pendellösung fringes, and transmission electron microscopy confirms planar superlattice interfaces with layer thicknesses that are in good agreement with the design target.

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth of InP-based quantum cascade laser (QCL) structures on a Si (001) substrate is demonstrated by employing a metamorphic InP buffer layer with InAs/InP quantum dots as dislocation filters. Calibration samples consist of a strain-compensated 11.98 nm In 0.365 Al 0.635 As/14.8 nm In 0.64 Ga 0.36 As superlattice (SL) structure as well as 5-stages of the λ % 4.8 mm QCL active region, which are grown atop the metamorphic buffer and are used to assess the structural properties of the SL through high-resolution X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Full QCL structures with 40-stage active region are fabricated into edge-emitting ridge-waveguide structures and demonstrate low temperature electroluminescence with a FWHM of 48.6 meV.

We report the characteristics of the strained In 0.65 Ga 0.35 As triple quantum well (QW) diode lasers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on lattice-mismatched substrates such as GaAs or Si, by utilizing InP metamorphic buffer layers (MBLs) in conjunction with InAs nanostructure-based dislocation filters. As the lattice-mismatch between the substrate and InP MBL increases, higher threshold current densities and lower slope efficiencies were observed, together with higher temperature sensitivities for the threshold current and slope efficiency. Structural analysis performed by both high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) and transmission electron microscopy indicates graded and/or rougher QW interfaces within the active region grown on the mismatched substrate, which accounts for the observed devices characteristics.

Design considerations for λ ∼ 3.0-to 3.5-μm-emitting quantum cascade lasers on metamorphic buffer layers," Opt. Eng.Abstract. Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) that employ metamorphic buffer layers as substrates of variable lattice constant have been designed for emission in the 3.0-to 3.5-μm wavelength range. Theoretical analysis of the active-region (AR) energy band structure, while using an 8-band k • p model, reveals that one can achieve both effective carrier-leakage suppression as well as fast carrier extraction in QCL structures of relatively low strain. Significantly lower indium-content quantum wells (QWs) can be employed for the AR compared to QWs employed for conventional short-wavelength QCL structures grown on InP, which, in turn, is expected to eliminate carrier leakage to indirect-gap valleys (X, L). An analysis of thermo-optical characteristics for the complete device design indicates that high-Al-content AlInAs cladding layers are more effective for both optical confinement and thermal dissipation than InGaP cladding layers. An electroluminescence-spectrum full-width half-maximum linewidth of 54.6 meV is estimated from interface roughness scattering and, by considering both inelastic and elastic scattering, the threshold-current density for 3.39-μm-emitting, 3-mm-long back-facet-coated QCLs is projected to be 1.40 kA∕cm 2 .

Quantum wells and barriers with precise thicknesses and abrupt composition changes at their interfaces are critical for obtaining the desired emission wavelength from quantum cascade laser devices. High-resolution X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy are commonly used to calibrate and characterize the layers’ thicknesses and compositions. A complementary technique, atom probe tomography, was employed here to obtain a direct measurement of the 3-dimensional spatially-resolved compositional profile in two InxGa1−xAs/InyAl1−yAs III-V strained-layer superlattice structures, both grown at 605 °C. Fitting the measured composition profiles to solutions to Fick’s Second Law yielded an average interdiffusion coefficient of 3.5 × 10−23 m2 s−1 at 605 °C. The extent of interdiffusion into each layer determined for these specific superlattices was 0.55 nm on average. The results suggest that quaternary active layers will form, rather than the intended ternary compounds, in structures with thicknesses and growth protocols that are typically designed for quantum cascade laser devices.