GaInAsP/InP lateral-current-injection distributed feedback laser with a-Si surface grating.

We fabricated a novel lateral-current-injection-type distributed feedback (DFB) laser with amorphous-Si (a-Si) surface grating as a step to realize membrane lasers. This laser consists of a thin GaInAsP core layer grown on a semi-insulating InP substrate and a 30-nm-thick a-Si surface layer for DFB grating. Under a room-temperature continuous-wave condition, a low threshold current of 7.0 mA and high efficiency of 43% from the front facet were obtained for a 2.0-µm stripe width and 300-µm cavity length. A small-signal modulation bandwidth of 4.8 GHz was obtained at a bias current of 30 mA.