Semiconductor lasers

303

12.7.2 Wells, wires, and dots

On the whole, is it an advantage to have multiple quanfum wells? One might be permitted to see only disadvantages. Surely, the more quantum wells, the more complicated must be the production process. In order to see the advantages, we need to investigate what happens as we further reduce the thickness of the active region. The main effect is that the discrete nature of the energy levels will be more manifest. Let us remember (eqn 6. I ) the energy levels in a potential well:
D* L--

h2n2
8m

Lt

(r2.3e)
then the lowest energy level

If

the lateral dimension of the well

is lOnm.

comes to 0.056 eV (where we have taken the effective mass of the electron at m* m I : 0.067). ln terms of the energies we talk about this is not negligible. It comprises about 47o of the energy gap of GaAs. If this is the lowest energy

available above the bottom of the conduction band, and similarly, there is a highest discrete level for holes in the valence band, then the wavelength of emitted radiation is determined bv the energy diflerence between these levels. Thus, one advantage should now be clear. Our laser can be tuned by choosing the thickness of the active layer in a Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) device. The tuning range might be as much as 20%. Are there any other advantages? To answer this question, we need to make a digression and look again at the densit_v of states function which we worked out in Chapter 6. Let us start rvith the energy levels of a three-dimensional well, as given by eqn (6.2) but permitting r.r'ell dimensions to be different:

': #(; e.t)

In MQW lasers the dimensions 1., and I " are much larger than L, thickness of the active region. We may just as rvell take L:. : Lr: which eqn (12.40) modifies to

(r2.40)

, the

l, with

E:
where

Ev[,,.

(t')'("i.,,)]
11'

(12.41)

Lil-'.......'-.-.'--.'.--.

E- _

,)

"

8m

tlt

(t2.42)

It is clear from eqn (12..11) that n., has a much higher influence on the allowed energies then n.. and n.. There will be big steps at n,, : 1, 2, 3, etc. Our primary interest is in the density of states because that will tell us that how
many electrons within an energy range dE can make the plunge downwards. Next, let us detennine the density of states in the region between r?x : I and ftx :2. This is then determined by n,u and nr. Within a radius of n ()) l) the number of possible states are zn2, since there is a state for each integer value