Amplified Spontaneous Emission Measurement of GaInNAs Laser Wafers with and without Rapid Thermal Annealing

The quality of a GaInNAs single-quantum-well heterostructure crystal for laser diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy was estimated using amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) measurement. The effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) were also estimated. The ASE intensity was four times higher with RTA, which is consistent with the decrease in the threshold current of the laser diode. The slope of the ASE versus injection current density showed that a 40% non-radiative recombination remained even after RTA. Thus, non-radiative recombination is still a major problem in improving GaInNAs laser diodes.