Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
We report the crystal growth conditions and lasing characteristics of InGaAs-GaAs strained-layer quantum well vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) grown on GaAs(311)A substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. A significantly smooth surface and high reflectivity of more than 99 % were achieved. Very flat and dislocation-free AlAs/GaAs hetero-interfaces were obtained. Furthermore, a very low threshold of 5.5 mA and current density of 270 A/cm2 have been achieved for the first time under CW operation at room temperature. In addition, we demonstrate stable polarization characteristics at high currents. These results are believed to be a consequence of both the predicted high gain and anisotropic gain distribution on the (311) surface.