Influence of contact layers on the thermal properties of PbSe/PbSnSeTe lasers

Optimisation of the thermal regime (with the aim of minimising overheating of the active region) was achieved by reducing the thicknesses of the confinement and contact layers, and the width of the active region in PbSe/PbSnSeTe double-heterostructure semiconductor lasers. When the pump current density was 3 kA cm^–2 (T = 77 K), the temperature of the active region rose by ΔT = 17 and 26 K in structures with the confinement layer 2 and 4 μm thick, respectively.