This chapter focuses primarily on progress in HPDLS that are grown on GaAs substrates and emit in the operating wavelength range λ_op = 900... 1000 nm, where the highest performance is reported, and the majority of studies are performed. Our discussion starts with a review of progress in broad area BA-HPDLs that reach the very highest powers and efficiencies, at the cost of degraded beam quality.

Chapter Contents:

• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 High power broad area lasers
• 3.2.1 Motivation
• 3.2.2 Device configurations and performance comparison
• 3.2.3 Challenge 1: efficiency and power
• 3.2.4 Challenge 2: beam quality
• 3.2.5 Challenge 3: external stabilization
• 3.3 High power laterally single mode lasers
• 3.4 High power lasers with monolithic grating stabilization
• 3.4.1 Overgrown gratings
• 3.4.2 Surface gratings
• 3.4.3 Comparison
• 3.5 Seed lasers
• 3.5.1 Gain switching
• 3.5.2 Q-switching
• 3.5.3 Mode locking and pulse picking
• 3.5.4 Pulse gating
• 3.6 Wavelength limits on GaAs-based high radiance quantum well lasers
• 3.6.1 Introduction
• 3.6.2 Short wavelength limit
• 3.6.3 Long wavelength limit
• 3.7 Conclusions and path forward
• Acknowledgments
• References

Inspec keywords: semiconductor lasers; laser beams; optical pumping; gallium arsenide

Other keywords: degraded beam quality; wavelength 900 nm to 1000 nm; high-power laser diodes; GaAs substrates; laser pumping; broad area BA-HPDL; GaAs

Subjects: Textbooks; Laser beam characteristics and interactions; Design of specific laser systems; Semiconductor lasers; Laser beam interactions and properties; Lasing action in semiconductors