Measurement of semiconductor laser gain by the segmented contact method under strong current spreading conditions

A segmented contact method for the measurement of optical gain is developed for the case of strong current spreading. A simple model of current spreading in a ridge laser with a segmented contact is proposed and analyzed. We show that current spreading effects should be taken into account in lasers with low threshold current densities and high ldquoopeningrdquo voltages. When applied to interband cascade lasers, the method gives an internal optical loss of ∼10-17 cm^-1 and a differential gain of ∼2.9 cm/A at 80 K, which agrees well with previously reported Hakki-Paoli data. The limitations of the technique are discussed.