Investigation of factors influencing the brightness of broad-area high-power laser diodes

The effects of various device parameters on the characteristics of a gain-guided 980 nm Al-free stripe geometry laser diodes are investigated using a robust laser simulator. The parameters investigated are the device geometry, the thickness and doping level of the waveguiding layer and the front facet reflectivity. Based on the results of varying the different device parameters, an optimized device design is proposed which takes into account practical and economic considerations. The optimized wide emitter gain-guided laser is expected to operate in a single fundamental mode up to a power of 1.15 W. The device is predicted to have a beam quality factor M² of 1.62, a brightness of 61 MW/cm ²sr and a low astigmatism value of 27 μm at the maximum fundamental mode power.