Promotion of Specific Single-Transverse-Mode Beam Characteristics for GaSb-Based Narrow Ridge Waveguide Lasers via Customized Parameter Design

Abstract

GaSb-based single-transverse-mode narrow ridge waveguide (RW) lasers with high power and simultaneous good beam quality have broad application prospects in the mid-infrared wavelength region. Yet its design and formation have not been investigated systematically, while the beam characteristics that affect their suitability for specific applications remain rarely analyzed and optimized. The present work addresses these issues by theoretically establishing a waveguide parameter domain that generalizes the overall possible combinations of ridge widths and etch depths that support single-transverse-mode operation for GaSb-based RW lasers. These results are applied to develop two distinct and representative waveguide designs derived from two proposed major optimization routes of model gain expansion and index-guiding enhancement. The designs were evaluated experimentally based on prototype 1-mm cavity-length RW lasers in the 1950 nm wavelength range, which were fabricated with waveguides having perpendicular ridge and smooth side-walls realized through optimized dry etching conditions. The model gain expanded RW laser design with a relatively shallow-etched (i.e., 1.55 $$\upmu$$ μ m) and wide ridge (i.e., 7 $$\upmu$$ μ m) yielded the highest single-transverse-mode power to date of 258 mW with a narrow lateral divergence angle of 11.1$$^\circ$$ ∘ full width at half maximum at 800 mA under room-temperature continuous-wave operation, which offers promising prospects in pumping and coupling applications. Meanwhile, the index-guiding enhanced RW laser design with a relatively deeply etched (i.e., 2.05 $$\upmu$$ μ m) and narrow ridge (i.e., 4 $$\upmu$$ μ m) provided a highly stable and nearly astigmatism-free fundamental mode emission with an excellent beam quality of M$$^2$$ 2 factor around 1.5 over the entire operating current range, which is preferable for seeding external cavity applications and complex optical systems.