A novel 850-nm surface-emitting LED with 131-nm spectral width

Large bandwidth infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated by liquid-phase epitaxy. The spectral bandwidth is a maximum of 131 nm at room temperature (754-885 nm). Normally, the bandwidth of a 850-nm LED is 60 nm. The mean spectral bandwidth of the new LEDs is 110 nm at room temperature, 99 nm at -55°C, and 120 nm at +125°C. The optical power coupled through a 100-m 100-μm-core-diameter optical fiber with NA=0.29 is typically -3 dBm. The power decrease by change of temperature is 3%/°C. Initial results from an accelerated endurance test are presented. The characteristics of the new large bandwidth LED show good stability over a temperature range of -55 to +125°C, which makes it suitable for wavelength division multiplex applications in aircraft and space systems