1 W CW, Diffractor-Limited Eyesafe Laser Diode Emitting at 2.0um Wavelength

Spectra Diode Laboratories proposes to develop a 1 Watt output power, continuous-wave, coherent and diffraction-limited laser diode operating in the eyesafe mid-infrared spectrum at a wavelength of 2.0 microns. The device is fabricated from a strained-layer, multi-quantum-well InGaAs/InGaAsP epitaxial wafer. The laser design consists of a single-mode distributed Bragg reflector master oscillator monolithically integrated with a flared-contact power amplifier. The flared amplifier cleanly upscales the single-spatial-mode, single-frequency output of the master oscillator up to the 1 Watt power level. The output beam, after exiting the collimation optics, consists of a single Gaussian diffraction-limited lobe. The laser source itself offers a very high electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency exceeding 15% and is mechanically stable, self-aligned structure offering high reliability. The laser head is compact, rugged and passively cooled, therefore offering many advantages over competing high-power infrared lasers such as CO2 and solid-state Holmium-doped YAG and YLF. Due to its high output power and high efficiency, the coherent eyesafe semiconductor laser will find numerous applications within the government and the private sector.