A transient method of thermal characterization of double heterostructure laser diodes

This paper presents a method to measure simultaneously the thermophysical properties of laser diodes and of their adhesive bonds under operating conditions. With this aim in view, temporal profiles of junction temperature are analyzed, during cooling down, from 10(-6) to 10(-3) sec. Temperature measurement is based on the thermodependence of the terminal voltage across the laser diodes and takes into account thermoelectric effects. A multi-dimensional heat diffusion model allows the identification of the substrate thermal diffusivity and the thermal resistance of the adhesive bond. Moreover, the junction temperature and the heat generation rate in steady state are determined as a function of input power. Experimental results concern a GaAlAs/GaAs double heterostructure laser. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.