Characterization of Quantum Well Laser Diodes for Application within the AMRDEC HWIL Facilities

Abstract

The U.S. Army's Research, Development, and Engineering Command's (RDECOM) Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) provides Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) test support to numerous tactical and theatre missile programs. Critical to the successful execution of these tests is the state-of-the-art technologies employed in the visible and infrared scene projector systems. This paper describes the results of characterization tests performed on new mid-wave infrared (MWIR) quantum well laser diodes recently provided to AMRDEC by the Naval Research Labs and Sarnoff Industries. These lasers provide a +10X improvement in MWIR output power over the previous technology of lead-salt laser diodes. Performance data on output power, linearity, and solid-angle coverage are presented. A discussion of the laser packages is also provided.