Electrical characteristics of proton-implanted vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

The electrical characteristics of proton-implanted GaAs quantum-well vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (VCSELs) have been studied. We show that the 2 kT current, observed over many decades in these VCSELs, is primarily due to nonradiative recombination mechanisms. These include surface recombination at the edges of the proton-implanted region and bulk recombination at defects and heterojunction interface traps. The contribution of these mechanisms to the total nonradiative current and the threshold current density has been calculated. Lateral spontaneous emission measurements have been used to prove that the radiative current has a kT behavior in the subthreshold region. Electrical derivative measurements have been used to identify leakage current paths through the proton-implanted region in the low-bias regions. In addition, electrical derivative measurements have been used to measure the variation of series resistance with current near the lasing threshold. From a consideration of the various current paths in the VCSEL, a lumped circuit equivalent model for the VCSEL has been developed.