Predictions of thermoelastic stress in a broad-area semiconductor laser

The coupling of electrical, optical, and thermal effects in broad-area semiconductor lasers has been investigated using a multilateral mode mathematical model. Numerical solutions for the active layer temperature rise are input into the thermal source terms of elasticity equations, leading to the prediction of the thermoelastic stresses which occur in regions of high defect concentration. The magnitude of this prediction is compared with the size of other stresses reported elsewhere in experimental observations of the degraded facet of broad-area devices. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.