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AlGaN-Based Ultraviolet Laser Diodes

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III-Nitride Ultraviolet Emitters

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Materials Science ((SSMATERIALS,volume 227))

Abstract

The current status of UV lasers and laser diodes (LDs) based on group III-nitrides is reviewed. The focus is on the design, fabrication, and performance of AlGa(In)N laser heterostructures grown by metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on high-quality bulk AlN substrates. The review begins with the fundamentals of laser diode operation and identifies the challenges to realize short-wavelength devices with wide band gap materials. In particular, simultaneously achieving high material quality and good p-type conductivity becomes increasingly challenging with higher aluminum concentrations in the epitaxial films. Using low defect density bulk AlN substrates is a good strategy to realize high internal quantum efficiencies and, ultimately, high gain within the active zone. Polarization-assisted hole generation with a short-period superlattice for the cladding layer is a viable approach to overcome the limitations of thermally activated p-type doping. Topics include LD processing considerations that are relevant for the high band gap materials, issues related to efficient carrier injection at the high current densities required for LD operation, and specific approaches to improve the functionality of the electron blocking layer. Next, results are presented for optically pumped UV lasers, with wavelengths down to λ = 237 nm and low lasing thresholds, and design options are described to manipulate the polarization of the emitted laser light. The review concludes with a discussion of alternative laser designs to realize deep-UV laser emission with nitride semiconductors.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Dr. Chris Chua, Zhihong Yang, Mark Teepe, Clifford Knollenberg, Dr. Bowen Cheng, and Dr. Suk Choi from PARC for their crucial support throughout the project. Special thanks are expressed to Dr. Gregory A. Garrett and Dr. Michael Wraback from the Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD, USA, Dr. Martin Feneberg and Prof. Rüdiger Goldhahn from the OvG University Magdeburg, Germany, and Dr. Benjamin Neuschl and Prof. Klaus Thonke from the University of Ulm, Germany. We are pleased to acknowledge financial support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) under U.S. Army Cooperative Agreement no. W911NF-10-02-0102 and W911NF-10-2-0008.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PARC Palo Alto Research Center, Inc., 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    Thomas Wunderer, John E. Northrup & Noble M. Johnson

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  1. Thomas Wunderer
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  2. John E. Northrup
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  3. Noble M. Johnson
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Correspondence to Thomas Wunderer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Solid state Physics, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Michael Kneissl

  2. Institute of Solid state Physics, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Jens Rass

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Wunderer, T., Northrup, J.E., Johnson, N.M. (2016). AlGaN-Based Ultraviolet Laser Diodes. In: Kneissl, M., Rass, J. (eds) III-Nitride Ultraviolet Emitters. Springer Series in Materials Science, vol 227. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24100-5_8

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