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Model for cross‐plane thermal conductivity of layered quantum semiconductor structures and application for thermal modeling of GaInAs/AlInAs‐based quantum cascade lasers
Author(s) -
Le Khai Q.,
Kim Sangin
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200723346
Subject(s) - thermal conductivity , laser , cascade , materials science , quantum well , quantum cascade laser , semiconductor laser theory , thermal resistance , thermal , condensed matter physics , quantum , optoelectronics , semiconductor , optics , physics , chemistry , thermodynamics , composite material , chromatography , quantum mechanics
Abstract In this paper, a theoretical model for the cross‐plane thermal conductivity of layered quantum semiconductor structures is presented. This model is used to evaluate the cross‐plane thermal conductivity of the active region in GaInAs/AlInAs‐based quantum cascade (QC) lasers. We take into account the temperature dependent thermal conductivity of the layers. By including their interface thermal resistance and scattering processes via the multilayer quantum structure, we predict a decrease by an order of magnitude of the lattice thermal conductivity of the active region in GaInAs/AlInAs‐based QC lasers. We computed that the cross‐plane thermal conductivity of a InGaAs/AlInAs‐based QC laser active region at low temperature from 80 K to 130 K is in the range of 0.5–0.7 W/(m K), whilst the average experimental value obtained by Lops et al. [13] is 0.6 W/(m K). In addition, using the result as input, we present a numerical investigation into the facet temperature profile in this laser during continuous‐wave operation using a finite‐element method. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)