Visible (657 nm) InGaP/InAlGaP strained quantum well vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting laser

We report the first visible (657 nm) vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting laser. The photopumped undoped structure was grown using low‐pressure metalorganic vapor‐phase epitaxy in a single‐growth sequence on misoriented GaAs substrates. The optical cavity consists of an In0.54Ga0.46P/In0.48(Al0.7Ga0.3)0.52 P strained quantum‐well active region and a lattice‐matched In0.48(AlyGa1−y)0.52 P (0.7≤y≤1.0) graded spacer region, while the distributed Bragg reflectors are composed of Al0.5Ga0.5As/AlAs quarter‐wave stacks. Room‐temperature optically pumped lasing was achieved with a very low‐threshold power, clearly demonstrating the viability of this new technology. These results provide the foundation for visible semiconductor laser‐diode arrays for a number of applications including laser projection displays, holographic memories, and plastic fiber communication.

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