A device is made up of an active structure attached to a substrate, the active structure having a facet through which light couples between the active structure and another structure attached to the substrate; and an active region comprising a quantum well region that includes a sub-region, adjacent the facet, configured to undergo QWI in response to heat. The active structure also contains a heating element, positioned close to the facet and operable such that heat generated by the heating element raises a temperature of the sub-region of the active region near the facet high enough to activate QWI in that sub-region, in turn causing a reduction in optical absorption, without raising temperatures in any other portion of the active region enough to cause significant thermal stress at any interface between the substrate and the active structure.