Passive temperature compensation of uncooled GaInAsP-InP diode lasers using thermal stress

Strain arising from differential thermal expansion may be used to compensate the effects of rising temperature and stabilize the operating properties of diode lasers. We have demonstrated this using a 1.58-/spl mu/m GaInAsP-InP multiquantum-well (MQW) laser mounted on a bimetallic heatsink, obtaining nearly complete stabilization of the modal wavelength and a threshold current equivalent characteristic temperature of 133 K over the temperature range of 20/spl deg/C to 70/spl deg/C. The results are successfully modeled by a gain calculation that considers the effects of strain produced by both lattice-mismatched epitaxy and external uniaxial stress.