The role of electron temperature in the leakage current in QCLs and its impact on the quantum efficiency

Yuri V. Flores; Sergii S. Kurlov; Mikaela Elagin; Mykhaylo P. Semtsiv; W. Ted Masselink

doi:10.1117/12.2036371

27 February 2014 The role of electron temperature in the leakage current in QCLs and its impact on the quantum efficiency

Yuri V. Flores, Sergii S. Kurlov, Mikaela Elagin, Mykhaylo P. Semtsiv, W. Ted Masselink

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9002, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers XIII; 90021R (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2036371
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2014, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We have recently described a method to analyze the leakage current (J_leak) in quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) for carriers scattering into higher minibands due to LO-phonon absorption. In his presentation we analyze J_leak due to elastic scattering. We illustrate how at low temperature, when inelastic scattering is negligible, this current becomes significant for devices operating at high electron temperatures. Measuring J_leak above threshold we are able to investigate the effect of electron temperature on the differential quantum efficiency. This procedure is supported by a self-consistent calculation of the rate equations based on a phenomenological scattering-rate model. We apply our approach and measure J_leak above threshold as a function of electron temperature for a QCL emitting near 5.4 μm operated at a low duty cycle and a heat sink temperature of 80 K. This current is then modeled using a thermally activated, electron temperature-driven, scattering model based on intersubband interface roughness scattering. As a result, a reduction in the upper laser state population by ∼35% is estimated due to the effect of increased electron temperature. A decrease of the quantum efficiency of ∼80% is estimated for an electron temperature of 400 K.

Citation Download Citation

Yuri V. Flores, Sergii S. Kurlov, Mikaela Elagin, Mykhaylo P. Semtsiv, and W. Ted Masselink "The role of electron temperature in the leakage current in QCLs and its impact on the quantum efficiency", Proc. SPIE 9002, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers XIII, 90021R (27 February 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2036371

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