Sub-250 nm room-temperature optical gain from AlGaN/AlN multiple quantum wells with strong band-structure potential fluctuations

Deep-UV optical gain has been demonstrated in Al0.7Ga0.3N/AlN multiple quantum wells under femtosecond optical pumping. Samples were grown by molecular beam epitaxy under a growth mode that introduces band structure potential fluctuations and high-density nanocluster-like features within the AlGaN wells. A maximum net modal gain value of 118 +/- 9 cm(-1) has been measured and the transparency threshold of 5 +/- 1 mu J/cm(2) was experimentally determined, corresponding to 1.4 x 10(17) cm(-3) excited carriers. These findings pave the way for the demonstration of solid-state lasers with sub-250 nm emission at room temperature. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3681944]