Molecular dynamics study on the thermal conductivity of multiple layers in semiconductor disk laser

Thermal properties of multiple layers including distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and multiple quantum wells (MQWs) used in the semiconductor gain element are crucial for the performance of a semiconductor disk laser (SDL). For the purpose of more reasonable semiconductor wafer design, so to improve the thermal management of SDLs, accurate thermal conductivity value of a DBR is under considerable requirement. By the use of equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) method, thermal conductivities of AlAs/GaAs DBRs, which were widely employed in 1μm wavelength SDLs, were calculated, and simulated results were compared with reported data. Influences of the Al composition, and the layer thickness on the thermal conductivities were focused and analyzed.