Interference of emission from disk-shaped lasers based on quantum-confined AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb nanoheterostructures

Directivity patterns of disk-shaped whispering gallery mode (WGM) semiconductor lasers based on quantum-confined AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb nanoheterostructures have been studied. The cavities of disk lasers were manufactured by wet chemical etching and had the shape of a truncated cone with a height of 15 μm. The top (about 5-μm-high) part of the cavity had a cylindrical shape. A flat ring with a width equal to the thickness of the active region was protruding ∼1 μm out of the side face of the cavity. The directivity diagram of the disc WGM laser exhibits a ring-shaped interference pattern with several maxima separated by an angle of ∼6°. The interference pattern observed in both spontaneous and laser generation regimes can be explained by the interference of rays emitted directly from the ring and those reflected from the etched surface of the crystal.