 Double heterostructure laser

A double heterostructure laser electrically pumps its central layer for stimulated emission. Band offsets confine charge carriers; refractive index contrast confines the optical normal mode.^[ref]

For an original bookkeeping model, let $R$ be the injected pair rate per unit area, $d$ the active-layer thickness, $N$ its excess pair number density, $\tau$ a recombination lifetime, and ${\tau }_e$ an escape time. Before appreciable stimulated emission, supposeChoose two otherwise identical devices with ${\tau }_e=\tau$ and ${\tau }_e=9\tau$. The resulting steady state populations are $R\tau /(2d)$ and $9R\tau /(10d)$: improved confinement raises the population by a factor $1.8$ at fixed injection. This linear model assumes equal excess Electron and electron hole densities, fixed lifetimes, and no laser gain clamping.

Optical confinement enters separately. For a chosen optical normal mode, define $0<\Gamma \le 1$ as its gain-overlap factor with the active layer. With material optical gain $g$, internal loss ${\alpha }_i$, and mirror loss ${\alpha }_m$, a simple laser threshold condition isFor stipulated losses ${\alpha }_i+{\alpha }_m=3$ in inverse-length units, $\Gamma =1/2$ requires $g=6$, whereas $\Gamma =3/4$ requires $g=4$. This calculation varies optical overlap only; the preceding population calculation varies carrier escape only. Their combination explains the usefulness of controlling both the energy band profile and the optical normal mode.

Herbert Kroemer proposed the double heterostructure laser in 1963; he did not participate in its 1970 experimental realization.^[ref] Zhores I. Alferov describes his group's independent 1963 proposal and later experimental program.^[ref]