Diffraction-limited Laser Diodes For Satelite Communications

SPECTRA DIODE LABS PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A NEW CLASS OF HIGH POWER, LARGE APERTURE COHERENT DIFFRACTION-LIMITED SEMICONDUCTOR DIODE LASERS BASED ON A NEW STRUCTURE INVENTED AT SDL. THE LARGE APERTURE SINGLE-MODE LASER EMITS A COHERENT OUTPUT POWER 20 - 100 TIMES GREATER THAN CONVENTIONAL DFB LASERS. THE SINGLE-MODE LASER WILL DELIVER 1 W, CW COHERENT DIFFRACTION-LIMITED OPTICAL POWER IN A CIRCULAR BEAM WITH 5 MRAD DIVERGENE EMITTED DIRECTLY FROM THE CHIP. THE DEVICE IS BASED ON A BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS, TO DATE, RESULTED IN THE DEMONSTRATION OF A 460 MW DEFFRACTION-LIMITED DISTRUBUTED BRAGG REFLECTOR (DBR) RING OSCILLSTOR. THE PROPOSED DESIGN ENABLE POWER SCALING WHILE MAINTAINING SPECTRAL AND SPATIAL COHERENCE. THIS REVOLUTIONARY LASER DESIGN IS APPLICABLE TO ALL SEMICONDUCTOR LASER MATERIALS EMITTING FROM VISIBLE TO MID-INFRARED WAVELENGTHS, AND IS COMPATIBLE FOR MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION WITH OTHER OPTOELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. EXTENDING THE TECHNOLOGY TO MONOLITHIC, LARGE-APERTURE MASTER OSCILLATOR POWER AMPLIFIER (MOPA) DEVICES, COHERENT CW OPERATION WITH 10 W - 30 W OUTPUT POWER IS EXPECTED.