Simultaneous measurement of the electronic and lattice temperatures in GaAs/Al0.45Ga0.55As quantum-cascade lasers: Influence on the optical performance

We measured the electronic and lattice temperatures in steady-state operating GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-cascade lasers, by means of microprobe band-to-band photoluminescence. Thermalized hot-electron distributions with temperatures up to 800 K are established. The comparison of our data with the analysis of the temperature dependence of device optical performances shows that the threshold current is determined by the lattice temperature.

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