Strained 1.55 /spl mu/m GaInAsP/GaInAsP SCH MQW laser grown by CBE

We report the successful realization of quaternary/quaternary (GaInAsP/GaInAsP) SCH MQW lasers with 1.55 /spl mu/m emission wavelength grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE). Strained and strain symmetrized multiquantum well laser structures with high number of ternary/quaternary (GaInAs/GaInAsP) and quaternary/quaternary quantum wells and barriers and different strain were grown. Metal cladding ridge waveguide (MCRW) lasers were fabricated and characterized. The influence of composition, strain and quantum well number was studied. For 10 QW lasers, a threshold current density per quantum well of 62 A/cm/sup 2/ was extrapolated for infinitely long cavity. MCRW lasers with 6 QWs, 7 /spl mu/m ridge width and 250 /spl mu/m long cavity showed a threshold current of 20 mA for CW operation at 20/spl deg/C. The results compare well with MQW lasers grown by more widely used MOCVD and are one of the best values achieved by CBE so far.