Dynamics of GaN-based laser diodes from violet to green

We present a systematic study of the dynamics of nitride laser diodes with different emission wavelengths ranging from violet (409 nm) to green (512 nm). The current-dependent relaxation behavior of the laser diodes above threshold is analyzed with high temporal and spectral resolution and electroluminescence decay measurements below threshold are employed to measure the charge carrier lifetimes at low excitation. We compare the experimental results to rate equation simulations to investigate on the origin of the differences in the dynamical behavior as function of the laser wavelength. From fitting these simulations to the experiment we extract device parameters such as the carrier lifetime at threshold and the differential gain.