Home Assignment 2 EE 612 Oct. 07, 2009.

Some Answers will be passed out on Oct. 08, 2009 at Copy Point. Quiz2A on
08/10/01.
1. The Direct Band Gap of In1-xGaxAsyP1-y is given in eV by Eg=1.35 - 0.72y + 0.12y2 where
0.72 coefficient is the linear interpolation term and 0.12 is the bowing parameter. What is the
mole fraction of InP (y) for which the band gap is equivalent to a wavelength of 1550nm ?
2. Any parameter ‘P’ of a IIIxIII1-xVyV1-y compound semiconductor i.e. GaxIn1-xAsyP1-y is
given by P(x,y)=[(1-x)y]P(InAs)+[(1-x)(1-y)]P(InP)+[xy]P(GaAs)+[x(1-y)]P(GaP) where
the parameters in italics represent those of the binary compounds. Show using data in
problem 1 that all lattice matching compositions on InP substrate will approximately follow
the condition y = 2.2 x. Hence using problem 1 find the composition needed for 1550 nm
wavelength.

3. The lattice constants of InP, GaAs, GaP, and InAs are 0.5868, 0.5642, 0.54495, and 0.6058
nm respectively. Calculate the lattice matching composition of InxGa1-xAs on InP assuming
linear interpolation is valid for the lattice constants. [Use formula in prob. 2]
4. An LED at room temperature under forward bias at cutin conducts a current of I=10mA and
emits light at a central wavelength of 1.0µm. Under reverse bias the diode reverse saturation
current is Io=1pA. If the internal quantum efficiency is known to be 0.02, calculate the power
efficiency of the diode. Why is this calculated efficiency greater than unity ? Explain.
5. Derive the fraction of radiation escaping from an LED (point source) imbedded in a medium
of refractive index n1 into the upper medium of refractive index n2, assuming there is no
absorption in the medium. Also assume the transmission coefficient is that of normal
incidence at the interface.
6. An edge-emitting LED has stripe width of 10 µm. The active layer thickness is 0.5 µm and
has a refractive index of 3.5. The length of the LED is 0.5 mm and the radiative
recombination lifetime of the carriers is 0.1 ns. The optical output is taken out from one end
of the diode only. When the bias current is switched off, find the time required for the output
intensity to decrease from the steady state value to 1% of the steady state intensity.
7. A silicon LED with minority carrier lifetimes (for both electrons and holes) of t=10ns is
excited by a modulating current of I=[10+2.Cos(wt+q)] mA. If the steady state optical output
is Po=5 mW. Derive expressions for P(t) for modulating frequencies of (a) 1 MHz (b) 1 GHz.
8. A GaAs LED fabricated from fairly lightly doped materials has an effective recombination
region of width 0.1µm. If it is operated at a current density of 2 x 107 A/m2, estimate the
modulation bandwidth that can be expected. Assume the recombination constant
B(recomb)=7x10-16 m−3.
9. Show that ∆EF > Eph > Eg is the condition for gain in a laser. Where ∆EF is (EFn - EFp).
What is the condition identified as population inversion in semiconductors. Explain your
answer.
10. The lack of flatnes of the mirrors of a Fabry-Perot cavity often limits the finesse attainable. If
you require a Finesse F , the mirrors must be flat to λ/N. Find an expression for the flatness
 finesse i.e. Determine 'N'. [Hint : Consider a bump δL on one of the mirrors and calculate the
mode positions dn for a change of δL in the thickness, and introduce this value in the
expression for Finesse]
How flat must the mirrors be (in terms of λ) for the finesse to be 100 ?
11. Show that the longitudinal mode spacing of a semiconductor laser resonator cavity is given
by |δλ| = λ/2[2nL(1-λ/n.dn/dλ)]-1
where n is the refractive index of the semiconductor in the gain section and λ is the resonator
length. What does this expression indicate about the mode spacing in a semiconductor laser ?
12. A semiconductor laser has gmax = 2000 m-1 and attenuation αs = 600 m-1.
(a) If R1 = R2 = 0.35, what is the minimum value of the length of the cavity for which lasing
action can be obtained ?
(b) If the length is 400 µm, and R1 = R2 = R, what is the minimum value for R ?
(c) How would the laser threshold change if the value of R is increased from this value by
applying reflective coatings to the end facets ?