Effects of Lateral Diffusion on the Temperature Sensitivity of the Threshold Current for 1.3-$\mu{\hbox {m}}$ Double Quantum-Well GaInNAs–GaAs Lasers

We present an experimental and theoretical investigation of the temperature dependence of the threshold current for double quantum well GaInNAs-GaAs lasers in the temperature range 10 degC-110 degC. Pulsed measurements of the threshold current have been performed on broad and narrow ridge wave guide (RWG) lasers. The narrow RWG lasers exhibit high characteristic temperatures (T
₀
) of 200 K up to a critical temperature (T
_c
), above which T
₀
is reduced by approximately a factor of 2. The T0-values for broad RWG lasers are significantly lower than those for the narrow RWG lasers, with characteristic temperatures on the order of 100 (60) K below (above) T
_c
. Numerical simulations, using a model that accounts for lateral diffusion effects, show good agreement with experimental data and reveal that a weakly temperature dependent lateral diffusion current dominates the threshold current for narrow RWG lasers.