Abstract

High-power semiconductor lasers at 1.48-μm wavelength have been increasingly im portant as the pumping light sources for Er³⁺-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA’s). High reliability, as well as high power characteristics, is required in optical communication systems. Reliability testing has been reported for bulk 1.48-μm high-power laser diodes (LD’s).¹ Although the output power was as high as 100 mW at 25 °C, it was limited to 65 mW at 50 °C. To assure their applicability as high-power pumping sources, aging tests at high powers and high temperatures will be required. In this respect, multiple-quantum-well (MQW) LD’s are promising candidates because of their high-power capability at high temperatures.² This paper reports 100-mW APC aging tests for 1.48-μm MQW double-channel planar buried heterostructure (DC-PBH) LD’s at 20 °, 50 °, and 70 °C, as well as high-power cw operation at over 250 mW.

© 1991 Optical Society of America