Recent developments in injection lasers

A status report summarizes the improved performance characteristics resulting from the application of restricted area contacts to single and double heterojunction laser structures. A geometric description of the process known as the stripe geometry contact is given as it relates to both GaAs and AIGaAs injection lasers. Application of the striped contacts to the fabrication of both pulsed and cw lasers has resulted in significant improvements in both performance and reliability of these devices. Data are presented that establish the superior device performance and reliability of both high peak power pulsed devices and room temperature cw lasers. The data include extended operating life tests for both pulsed and cw devices, comparisons of catastrophic damage limits, power output efficiency, as well as output and threshold current as a function of temperature. Radiation patterns, risetime, and polarization characteristics are also described. The paper also summarizes characteristics of cw injection lasers which can be supplied in a variety of packaging configurations. These devices have demonstrated analog modulation bandwidths well in excess of 100 MHz and appear well suited to use with available fiber optics materials having transmission windows in the 820-nm range.