Abstract

Spontaneous emission is modified by the presence of an optical cavity. With increasing cavity finesse the fraction of spontaneous emission coupled to the lasing mode can be increased.¹ While longer wavelengths (-1.5 μm) place less stringent requirements on device processing with regard to dimensional control there is no practical semiconductor mirror lattice matched to InP as there is for GaAs. With a hybrid approach, useful reflectivity (>95%) may be obtained using metal mirrors (Au, Ag), combination of dielectrics (Si, SiO₂, Si₃N₄) or AlAs/GaAs multilayers. We have used epitaxial liftoff of InGaAs/InP quantum well structures and combined the epilayer with these mirror materials and fabricated high finesse microcavities. The application is towards optically pumped surface emitting devices.

© 1994 IEEE