Thermal resistance and temperature distribution in double-heterostructure lasers: Calculations and experimental results

The thermal resistance and temperature distribution in double-heterostructure lasers have been calculated taking into account the characteristics of the different layers, the internal quantum efficiency, and allotment of the dissipated power, in order to optimize their structure. The influence of the different layers in the heterostructure and of the electrical contact is analyzed. Thermal resistance of CW, shallow proton-implanted lasers has been determined experimentally using the technique that relies upon a null measurement of the wavelength of a single Fabry-Perot mode. Statistical results on some hundreds of lasers with different stripe widths ( m), mounted on different heat sinks (copper, silicon, beryllium oxide) are given and compared to theoretical values. The model we propose gives good agreement with experimental results. The 6 μm width stripe laser is of special interest because this laser is transverse monomode up to an optical power of 6 mW. A value of 22° C/W has been achieved in a reproducible manner for m lasers mounted on copper heat sinks. The effectiveness of the bonding technique is demonstrated. Si and BeO heat sinks are suitable for many applications because of their chemical (V grove etching in Si) and thermal properties (better linear expansion coefficient match to GaAs). We show that the increase of thermal resistance so introduced is still compatible with long CW operation.