Tunneling-injection of electrons and holes into quantum dots: A tool for high-power lasing

We study the optical output power of a semiconductor laser, which exploits tunneling-injection of electrons and holes into quantum dots (QDs) from two separate quantum wells. Even if there is out-tunneling leakage of carriers from QDs, the intensity of parasitic recombination outside QDs remains restricted with increasing injection current. As a result, the light-current characteristic becomes increasingly linear, and the slope efficiency grows closer to unity at high injection currents-a fascinating feature favoring the use of tunneling-injection of both electrons and holes into QDs for high-power lasing. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.