Very high-power (425 mW) AlGaAs SQW-GRINSCH ridge laser with frequency-doubled output (41 mW at 428 nm)

A very high-power AlGaAs single-quantum-well graded-index separate confinement heterostructure (GRINSCH) ridge laser operating in a diffraction-limited fundamental transverse mode up to 360 mW at a wavelength of 856 nm is presented. The maximum power output of the laser reached 425 mW, limited by thermal saturation of the device and not by catastrophic optical mirror damage. These lasers exhibit very high power levels and show excellent reliability at high output power levels. The extremely high, continuous-wave (CW) fundamental mode power combined with very low-intensity and optical phase distortion as well as low astigmatism render this ridge waveguide laser suitable for optical storage systems, printers, and direct frequency doubling. These devices have been successfully used for direct-frequency doubling of their output in a resonant KNbO₃ cavity yielding 41 mW of blue radiation at 428 nm