High-temperature operation (70/spl deg/C, 50 mW) of 660-nm-band InGaAlP Zn-diffused window lasers fabricated using highly Zn-doped GaAs layers

660-nm-band InGaAlP Zn-diffused window structure lasers have been fabricated using highly Zn-doped GaAs layers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition as a Zn diffusion source. A multiquantum-well active region was disordered by Zn diffusion, resulting in band-gap expansion and photoluminescence-wavelength shortening. In this Zn diffusion method, the Zn diffusion length from the active region into the n-cladding layer and the PL-wavelength shortening were easily controlled by controlling the Zn-dopant amount and the Zn-doped GaAs layer thickness. This method is very suitable for mass production. Window lasers fabricated by this method operate at up to 188 mW at 25/spl deg/C, and as high as 50 mW at 85/spl deg/C, and 30 mW at 95/spl deg/C with no COD. The lasers have been operating stably for more than 1200 h at 70/spl deg/C temperature and 50-mW output power. The mean time to failure was predicted as being more than 37000 h.