Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor diode laser having improved performance and method of manufacturing same

US5574743A · kind A · utility

51Cited by
1References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 21, 1995
Grant dateNov 12, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 21, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S5/223
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Semiconductor diode lasers are used inter alia in optical disc systems, laser printers, bar code readers, and glass fibre communication systems. Lasers having a so-called (weakly) index-guided structure are very suitable for many applications inter alia because they can be manufactured comparatively simply and reliably. A disadvantage of the known (weakly) index-guided laser is that the so-called P-I (=optical power-current) characteristic thereof exhibits a kink. Such a kink limits the use of the laser to a relatively low optical power. According to the invention, such a (weakly) index-guided laser has a resonance cavity with a length for which the optical power at which a kink occurs in the P-I characteristic is a maximum. It was a surprise to find that the occurrence of a kink in the P-I curve of such a (weakly) index-guided laser depends on the length of the resonance cavity. Very surprising is the appearance of a maximum value in this kink power as a function of the length of the resonance cavity. Equally surprising is the occurrence of a series of such maxima, which are substantially equally high, and which are formed by the crests of a sawtooth curve with a very steep flank …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.