Single‐ and multi‐quantum well (QW) structures of Ga(AsBi)/GaAs with up to 10% Bi were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at 300–330°C substrate temperature. The photoluminesce measurements of QW structures demonstrated room temperature emission up to wavelengths of ∼1.43 μm. In the structures obtained using a combined growth approach – an active layer with three QWs with ∼6% Bi was grown by MBE, whereas (AlGa)As claddings were grown by the metal organic vapour phase epitaxy technique – room temperature lasing at 1060 nm was documented.

A combined growth approach involving both molecular-beam epitaxy and metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy has been developed to fabricate GaAsBi/GaAs-based quantum well (QW) laser structures with a Bi composition up to 8%. Lasing operation has been demonstrated at room temperature at 1.06 μm in laser diodes containing 3QWs that in turn contain approximately 6% Bi. A 5QW device demonstrated lasing at 1.09 μm at 80 K. Using temperature- and pressure-dependent measurements of stimulated emission as well as pure spontaneous emission measurements, we show that the threshold current of the devices is limited by non-radiative defect-related recombination and an inhomogeneous carrier distribution. This is suspected to be due to inhomogeneity of the QW width as well as non-uniform Bi composition in the active region.