High-brightness slab-coupled optical waveguide lasers

Robin K. Huang; Joseph P. Donnelly; Leo J. Missaggia; Christopher T. Harris; Bien Chann; Anish K. Goyal; Antonio Sanchez-Rubio; Tso Yee Fan; George W. Turner

doi:10.1117/12.706647

8 February 2007 High-brightness slab-coupled optical waveguide lasers

Robin K. Huang, Joseph P. Donnelly, Leo J. Missaggia, Christopher T. Harris, Bien Chann, Anish K. Goyal, Antonio Sanchez-Rubio, Tso Yee Fan, George W. Turner

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6485, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers VI; 64850F (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.706647
Event: Integrated Optoelectronic Devices 2007, 2007, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

We have been developing a high power, high brightness semiconductor diode laser concept, the Slab-Coupled Optical Waveguide Laser (SCOWL). This laser concept is based upon slab coupling, in which a large, multimode waveguide is converted to a large, single mode waveguide by means of slab coupling of the higher order waveguide modes. SCOWL devices feature large, nearly circular mode sizes (≈4 x 4 &mgr;m and larger) and low modal loss, leading to low gain per unit length, allowing for the construction of long (≈1 cm cavity length) devices. These characteristics allow for high single mode output power. For 980-nm AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs-based SCOWL devices, we have demonstrated > 1 W CW output power in a single spatial mode, with brightness levels of > 100 MW/cm²-str. We have constructed high power arrays of SCOWL devices with bar widths of 1 cm and cavity lengths of 3 mm, and have demonstrated > 90 W under CW operation. By using the technique of wavelength beam combining (WBC), which is analogous to wavelength division multiplexing in optical communications, we have been able to combine the outputs from the elements of a SCOWL array to obtain 50 W peak power (30 W CW) with nearly diffraction-limited beam quality. These SCOWL arrays combined by WBC have demonstrated record single bar brightness levels, 3.6 GW/cm²- str. The WBC SCOWL approach is inherently scalable, and offers a route to obtaining kW-class, nearly diffraction limited output from an all-diode laser source. We have also recently extended single SCOWL devices to the multi-Watt regime, demonstrating 2.8 W CW output power from a 980-nm SCOWL with a novel design.

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Robin K. Huang, Joseph P. Donnelly, Leo J. Missaggia, Christopher T. Harris, Bien Chann, Anish K. Goyal, Antonio Sanchez-Rubio, Tso Yee Fan, and George W. Turner "High-brightness slab-coupled optical waveguide lasers", Proc. SPIE 6485, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers VI, 64850F (8 February 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.706647

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