0.98 μm wavelength InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs strained quantum-well laser diodes with high reliability

0.98 μm wavelength laser diodes are regarded as the most suitable pumping sources for erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) because of their low noise amplifying characteristic and high pumping efficiency. The chief consideration is to establish long term reliability by overcoming sudden failures caused by catastrophic optical damage (COD). We have been developing InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs strained single quantum-well ridge waveguide laser diodes emitting at 0.98 μm wavelength. In this paper, we describe reliability of our laser diodes, as well as their structure and initial characteristics. They have been showing very stable, operation throughout 1×10⁶ device-hours life tests. It should be noted that our laser diodes showed no evidence for decreases in COD levels with aging