Carrier dynamics and microwave characteristics of GaAs-based quantum-well lasers

We investigate the effects of carrier capture and re-emission on the electrical impedance, equivalent circuit, and modulation response of quantum-well (QW) laser diodes. The electrical impedance is shown to be a sensitive function of the time constants associated with carrier capture/transport and carrier re-emission. We compare the theoretical results with measured values of the electrical impedance of high-speed InGaAs-GaAs multiple-quantum-well lasers fabricated using different epilayer structures with a common lateral structure. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical model, allowing us to extract the effective carrier escape time and the effective carrier lifetime in the QW's, and to estimate the effective carrier capture/transport time.