Abstract

High-power (>0.5W) coherent diode lasers are required for a plethora of applications: parallel optical-signal processing; blue-light generation via harmonic conversion; high-speed, high-resolution laser printing; free-space optical communications; optical interconnects; and any other areas for which diode lasers could replace single-mode solid-state or gas lasers. For the last 15 years, significant efforts have been made toward the development of high-power diode lasers operating in the 0.8 – 1.0µm wavelength range. Conventional narrow-stripe (3-4μm wide) single-mode lasers provide, at most, 100 mW reliably, as limited by the optical power density at the laser facet. For reliable operation at watt-range power levels large-aperture (>100μm) sources are necessary. Thus, the challenge has been to maintain a single spatial mode, from large-aperture devices, to high power levels. For this reason, large-aperture coherent sources have been under study since 1978¹ as a means of obtaining mode-stabilized devices operating reliably at powers in the 0.5- to 1.0-W range.

© 1994 Optical Society of America