Effects of stress on threshold, wavelength, and polarization of the output of InGaAsP semiconductor diode lasers

The effects of tension and compression applied to unbonded InGaAsP semiconductor diode lasers have been studied. The observed dependence of threshold, wavelength, and polarization of the laser output on the applied stress is explained in terms of the strain dependence of the valence-band wave functions. The polarization behavior is found to be related to thermal stress and the structure of the device. A technique has been developed to measure the thermal stress induced by current heating at the 105-dyn/cm2 level.