Alexandria Digital Research Library

Nonpolar Gallium Nitride-based VCSELs

Author:
Holder, Casey Oliver
Degree Grantor:
University of California, Santa Barbara. Materials
Degree Supervisor:
Shuji Nakamura
Place of Publication:
[Santa Barbara, Calif.]
Publisher:
University of California, Santa Barbara
Creation Date:
2013
Issued Date:
2013
Topics:
Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Electronics and Electrical
Keywords:
GaN
Nonpolar
VCSEL
Laser
Genres:
Online resources and Dissertations, Academic
Dissertation:
Ph.D.--University of California, Santa Barbara, 2013
Description:

GaN vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are of increasing interest as sources of high-quality coherent light in the visible spectrum, particularly in blue wavelengths. These devices so far suffer from many problems, including low output power, low yield, and high costs. Nonpolar GaN offers many advantages for VCSELs. Anisotropic electric fields in the plane of the emitting quantum wells results in higher gain and crystallographically-oriented polarization of emitted light. This should result in the unique property of polarization locking, whereby the polarization direction of each device is identical, and determined by the crystal structure of the material in the device. Prior demonstrations of GaN VCSELs have relied on epitaxially-grown n-DBR mirrors, or mechanical polishing to remove the substrate to allow for deposition of dielectric DBR mirrors. Epitaxially-grown DBRs give epitaxial control of cavity length, but are very difficult and costly to grow. Mechanical polishing and deposition of dielectric DBRs simplifies fabrication, but gives no control of cavity length. This thesis reports on a novel fabrication method using photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching that gives epitaxial control of cavity length, while still allowing for the use of dielectric DBR mirrors. Using this novel fabrication method, the first nonpolar GaN-based VCSELs are demonstrated. These devices exhibit polarization locking, where each device is highly polarized parallel to the crystallographic a-direction of the wurtzite crystal structure. Electrically-injected lasing under pulsed operation at room temperature is reported, with an output power of approximately 20 uW at a wavelength of 411.9 nm.

Physical Description:
1 online resource (103 pages)
Format:
Text
Collection(s):
UCSB electronic theses and dissertations
ARK:
ark:/48907/f3sf2t6s
ISBN:
9781303538896
Catalog System Number:
990040924590203776
Rights:
Inc.icon only.dark In Copyright
Copyright Holder:
Casey Holder
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