Influence of oxygen on the threshold current of AlGaAs multiple quantum well lasers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The influence of oxygen incorporation into the epitaxial layers on the threshold current density of AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) lasers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is studied quantitatively. It is shown that reduction of the oxygen concentration under 1X1017 cm-3 in the cladding layers is necessary to obtain low threshold current density for the MQW lasers emitting at 780 nm. The effective carrier lifetime measurement in the active layer by time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is a simple and effective method to monitor the oxygen contamination in the epitaxial layers.