skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Multiple-stripe and broad-area diode lasers operating at high-power: Aging and thermal degradation influences on performance

Journal Article · · Optical Engineering; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1117/12.60919· OSTI ID:6068934
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Raycon Corp., Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

This paper describes aging and thermal degradation influences on the performance of multiple-stripe and broad-area GaAlAs semiconduction diode lasers operating continuously at high power. At high currents of 4 X l[sub th] multiple-stripe lasers emit beams containing multiple modes. These beams can have small consistent [theta][sub pd] divergences (13 deg) making it easy to couple into optical fibers for applications. Current increases in multiple-stripe lasers have little effect on their performance. Broad-area lasers can emit a single v = 8 mode at currents up to 4.3 X l[sub th] but have large divergences (60 deg) making it difficult to couple into optical fibers. During burn-in, aging lasers can emit erratic optical beams. After aging, the output power and efficiency of a multiple-stripe laser decrease (3 and 6%), while that of a modified multiple-stripe laser increase (3.5 and 5%). Thermoelectric cooling instead of heat-fin cooling increases the output power and efficiency of a multiple-stripe laser (7.4 and 6%), and longer shot intervals increases the output power (5.4%). Modified multiple-stripe and broad-area lasers emit similar broad beams centered on their optical axes, and the beams get broader as current increases.

DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
6068934
Journal Information:
Optical Engineering; (United States), Vol. 32:1; ISSN 0091-3286
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English