Loss and Gain Measurements of Tensile-Strained Quantum Well Diode Lasers for Plasmonic Devices at Telecom Wavelengths

We performed an experimental study of tensile strain quantum wells for diode lasers operating at telecom wavelengths and in transverse magnetic polarization. The optical losses of ridge waveguide resonators are measured with passive and active techniques. The results are consistent with the theory and provide a useful material parameter database for this kind of devices. With the aim of implementing active plasmonic devices we studied the effect of the proximity of the metal top contact to the laser active region.