One of the persistent obstacles for high-power laser diodes (LDs) has been the catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD), which limits the operating power level and lifetime of commercial high-power LDs. The output facet of LD reaches a critical temperature resulting in COMD, which is an irreversible device failure. Here, we fabricate multi-section LDs by tailoring the waveguide structure along the cavity that separates the output facet from the heat-generating lasing region. In this method, the LD waveguide is divided into electrically isolated laser and window sections along the cavity. The laser section is pumped at a high current to achieve high output power, and the window is biased at a low current with negligible heat generation. This design restricts the thermal impact of the laser section on the facet, and the window section allows lossless transport of the laser to the output facet. The lasers were operated continuous-wave up to the maximum achievable power. While standard LDs show COMD failures, the multi-section waveguide LDs are COMD-free. Our technique and results provide a pathway for high-reliability LDs, which would find diverse applications in semiconductor lasers.

Catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) limits the output power and reliability of lasers diodes (LDs). Laser selfheating together with facet absorption of output power cause the facet to reach a critical temperature (Tc), resulting in COMD and irreversible device failure. The self-heating of the laser contributes significantly to the facet temperature, but it has not been addressed so far. We implement a multi-section waveguide method where the heat is separated from reaching the output facet by exploiting an electrically isolated window. The laser waveguide is divided into two electrically isolated laser and transparent window sections. The laser section is pumped at high current levels to achieve laser output, and the passive waveguide is biased at low injection currents to obtain a transparent waveguide with negligible heat generation. Using this design, we demonstrate facet temperatures lower than the junction temperature of the laser even at high output power operation. While standard LDs show COMD failures, the multi-section waveguide LDs are COMD-free. Our technique and results provide a pathway for high-reliability LDs, which would find diverse applications in semiconductor lasers.