Direct modulation characteristics of microdisk lasers with InGaAs/GaAs quantum well-dots

GaAs-based microdisk lasers with an active region representing a dense array of indium-rich islands (InGaAs quantum well-dots) were studied using direct small-signal modulation. We demonstrate that using dense arrays of InGaAs quantum well-dots enables uncooled high-frequency applications with a GHz-range bandwidth for microdisk lasers. A maximum 3 dB modulation frequency of 5.9 GHz was found in the microdisk with a radius of 13.5 μm operating without a heatsink for cooling. A modulation current efficiency factor of 1.5  GHz/mA1/2 was estimated.