Abstract

It was recently proposed,^1,2 that the power density related to the window width (in W/μm) of a laser diode can be substantially improved using a low confinement epitaxial structure. Keeping a reasonable high value of the intrinsic gain in the active region, a low confinement structure shall work also with a low modal gain value. The power optimization process is essentially connected to the attenuation coefficient of the laser waveguide α. When operating with an α value around 1 cm⁻¹ and pursuing a high differential efficiency, the modal gain should have a value around 5 cm⁻¹ and the laser length should be increased accordingly.² A beneficial consequence of the low modal gain value is the possibility to increase the stripe width while preserving well the operation in the fundamental lateral mode above the threshold.

© 1994 IEEE