CW operation and threshold characteristics of all-monolithic InAlGaAs 1.55-μm VCSELs grown by MOCVD

We demonstrate an all-monolithic metal-organic chemical vapor epitaxy (MOCVD)-grown 1.55-μm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser operating continuous wave up to 35/spl deg/C. The structure is based on the InAlGaAs-InP material system grown by a single step of MOCVD. Wet oxidation of a strained In/sub 0.4/Al/sub 0.6/As layer is used for the current confinement. The threshold current, threshold voltage and the external quantum efficiency at room temperature are about 1.6 mA, 2.3 V, and 5.4%, respectively.