Effects of etch depth and ion implantation on surface emitting microlasers

The authors fabricated low threshold In_0.2Ga_0.8As surface emitting microlasers having various etch depths and sizes. Comparison of electrical and optical properties was made between deep etched (deeper than the active layer) and shallow etched (shallower than the active layer) microlasers. Shallow etched microlasers were F-ion implanted to limit current spreading. The ion implanted shallow etched samples, when larger than about 5 mu m across, show improved room temperature CW characteristics with lower resistances and lower operating voltages than the deep etched microlasers.