Abstract

The Nd:YAG laser has been considered as a possible light source for optical computing systems based on p-i(MQW)-n modulators, because of its ability to provide high power with high spectral and spatial quality. However, since this laser operates at 1.064 μm, the GaAs/AlGaAs material system cannot be used. Since the GaAs substrate is a better candidate for large-scale integration than InP, much attention has been focused on InGaAs/GaAs MQWs for this application.¹-⁴ However, since the MQW must be at least 1 μm thick for useful surface-normal modulation, strain-relief is bound to occur in this system. This relaxation of the lattice results in dislocations which propagate upward resulting in a striated surface,³ causing diffraction of the light beams. In addition, the defects make the integration of GaAs transistors problematic.

© 1993 Optical Society of America