Catastrophic Optical Damage in Semiconductor Lasers: Physics and New Results on InGaN High‐Power Diode Lasers

Hempel, Martin; Dadgostar, Shabnam; Jiménez, J.; Kernke, Robert; Gollhardt, Astrid; Tomm, Jens W.

doi:10.1002/pssr.202100527

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The maximum optical power is limited by catastrophic optical damage [9,10] occuring at a critical power density at the facet, so broader ridge waveguides are used for power scaling in one emitter. If the ridge width is increased beyond 2 μm, lateral modes of higher order arise, [11][12][13] limiting the beam quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Lateral and Longitudinal Mode Competition in Blue InGaN Broad‐Ridge Laser Diodes

Uhlig

Kunzmann

Schwarz

2023

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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In blue GaN‐based laser diodes with a 40 μm broad‐ridge waveguide, lateral modes of different order are selectively observed by high‐resolution spectroscopy combined with lateral near‐field scanning. Longitudinal mode clusters contribute to different lateral modes, close above the threshold current. Longitudinal mode competition is observed in each longitudinal mode cluster as intensity modulation and wavelength shift, repeating itself with a frequency of around 60–80 MHz. Despite the spectral separation of the different clusters and different lateral mode order, the mode competition processes share the same frequency and show a stable phase relation, especially at low currents. This indicates coupling of separate mode clusters via the charge carrier density. Due to the lateral modes occurring at separate wavelengths, lateral–longitudinal mode competition is found, which not only causes spectral effects but also time‐dependent periodic variations in the lateral near field.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Lateral and Longitudinal Mode Competition in Blue InGaN Broad‐Ridge Laser Diodes

Uhlig

Kunzmann

Schwarz

2023

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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“…Edge emitting laser diodes include both high and low reflective mirror structures fabricated on the cleaved semiconductor (110) sidewalls (figure 1(c)). These lasers suffer from the catastrophic optical mirror damages (COMDs) which limit the device lifetime [75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]. When the temperature of a diode mirror increases locally (on area of micrometer scale) to a range of 100 • C-200 • C, the COMD phenomenon can occur, during which the mirror temperature increases rapidly even to 600 • C [83,84].…”

Section: Laser Mirror Damagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the gap between surface physics and photonics

Laukkanen,

Punkkinen,

Kuzmin

et al. 2024

Rep. Prog. Phys.

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Use and performance criteria of photonic devices increase in various application areas such as information and communication, lighting, and photovoltaics. In many current and future photonic devices, surfaces of a semiconductor crystal are a weak part causing significant photo-electric losses and malfunctions in applications. These surface challenges, many of which arise from material defects at semiconductor surfaces, include signal attenuation in waveguides, light absorption in light emitting diodes, non-radiative recombination of carriers in solar cells, leakage (dark) current of photodiodes, and light reflection at solar cell interfaces for instance. To reduce harmful surface effects, the optical and electrical passivation of devices has been developed for several decades, especially with the methods of semiconductor technology. Because atomic scale control and knowledge of surface-related phenomena have become relevant to increase the performance of different devices, it might be useful to enhance the bridging of surface physics to photonics. Toward that target, we review some evolving research subjects with open questions and possible solutions, which hopefully provide example connecting points between photonic device passivation and surface physics. One question is related to the properties of the wet chemically cleaned semiconductor surfaces which are typically utilized in device manufacturing processes, but which appear to be different from crystalline surfaces studied in ultrahigh vacuum by physicists. In devices, a defective semiconductor surface often lies at an embedded interface formed by a thin metal or insulator film grown on the semiconductor crystal, which makes the measurements of its atomic and electronic structures difficult. To understand these interface properties, it is essential to combine quantum mechanical simulation methods. This review also covers metal-semiconductor interfaces which are included in most photonic devices to transmit electric carriers to the semiconductor structure. Low-resistive and passivated contacts with an ultrathin tunnelling barrier are an emergent solution to control electrical losses in photonic devices.

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“…A common lifetime reducing phenomenon in these semiconductor lasers is the occurrence of catastrophic optical damage (COD) near the facet of the semiconductor laser. This effect occurs rather suddenly in regular operation mode, and in particular for ALGaInP/AlGaAs diode lasers, COD is the primary reason for failure [5] [6]. Since the time to COD is inversely proportional to the power density in the waveguide, COD is one of the limiting factors in increasing the performance of HPDL [7].…”

Section: Catastrophic Optical Damage In Semiconductor Lasersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industry and academia: pursuing a PhD at Fraunhofer, the best of both worlds

Klein

Adams

Traub

et al. 2023

High Power Lasers for Fusion Research VII

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Pursuit of an academic career is often co associated with a PhD which also is a qualification for all types of jobs in industry. However, in Germany most PhD programs focus on university-based, basic, and applied research and aim to demonstrate concepts while the transfer to industry and real products is subordinate. This is where Fraunhofer comes in: our natural science and engineering PhD students participate in solving real-world problems for our industrial customers with innovative and scientific approaches while they simultaneously pursue basic research questions with an application relevance for their PhD thesis. As an example, in this paper we present a multiphysics laser diode simulation software (SEMSIS) which was developed within two industrially funded PhD projects at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser technology ILT.In the fusion research, a vast number of high-power laser diodes are used as pump sources for the high-energy pulsed lasers in inertial confinement fusion. Improving their electro-optical efficiency and making them more robust against external optical feedback represents a crucial step towards their use in economically competitive fusion power plants. In the presented simulation software tool SEMSIS, the complex interaction of electrical, optical, thermal as well as mechanical properties and their impact on efficiency, filamentation and reliability of high-power diode lasers can be analyzed to address the previously mentioned requirements in fusion research.

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Catastrophic Optical Damage in Semiconductor Lasers: Physics and New Results on InGaN High‐Power Diode Lasers

Cited by 8 publications

References 55 publications

Characterization of Lateral and Longitudinal Mode Competition in Blue InGaN Broad‐Ridge Laser Diodes

Characterization of Lateral and Longitudinal Mode Competition in Blue InGaN Broad‐Ridge Laser Diodes

Bridging the gap between surface physics and photonics

Industry and academia: pursuing a PhD at Fraunhofer, the best of both worlds

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