Lifetimes and Auger coefficients in type-II W interband cascade lasers

Lifetimes and Auger coefficients for type-II W interband cascade lasers are deduced from correlations of the experimental threshold current densities and slope efficiencies with calculated threshold carrier densities and optical gains. The room-temperature Auger coefficients for a number of low-threshold devices emitting at wavelengths from 2.9 to 4.1 mu m fall in the narrow range of (3-5)x10(-28) cm(6)/s, which represents a much stronger suppression of Auger decay than was implied by most earlier experiments and theoretical projections. The Auger coefficient is nearly independent of the thicknesses and compositions of the layers in the W active region. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.