Selective excitation of packaging-induced defects in high-power diode laser arrays

Summary form only given. Packaging of high-power diode lasers represents a crucial issue regarding device lifetime and reliability. In a series of papers we characterized packaging-induced strains in such devices quantitatively. These measurements were based on photocurrent (PC) data. The spectral positions of the optical transitions of quantum-confined carriers were used to get information about the sign, the absolute value and spatial distributions of packaging-induced strains in high-power laser arrays. Now new systematic studies show that packaging sometimes is accompanied by the creation of additional defects in the laser chip resulting in below-bandgap absorption bands. So far the spatial location of these defects is unknown. In the paper we believe we give the first experimental evidence for packaging-induced defects located in the active region of the high-power lasers. A total of 21 devices InGaAlAs/GaAs 2 W single chip devices (from the same wafer) are investigated.