We present a passively mode-locked monolithic diode laser operating at 780 nm. It features a tapered gain section serving as a power booster and generates ultrashort pulses (~8 ps) with a peak power of approximately 45 W and a repetition rate of 6.6 GHz. The estimated beam propagation ratio is less than 1.3. This diode laser is intended as a compact and cost-efficient alternative to Ti:sapphire lasers for use in two-photon-polymerization-based 3D-printing systems.
We present broad area distributed Bragg reflector lasers with up to five active regions epitaxially stacked in a common waveguide emitting nanosecond pulses around 905nm for LIDAR. Optimized for pulsed operation and implementation of a surface Bragg grating, the diode laser emits in a higher order vertical mode. 2mm long diode lasers with five active regions and a 200µm wide current aperture integrated in an inhouse high pulse current electronic driver provide pulse powers >200W at slightly >100A in 10ns long pulses. The emission spectrum features a spectral bandwidth of <0.3nm and a temperature-related shift of <70pm/K.
We present weakly tapered ridge waveguide distributed Bragg reflector lasers with three active regions epitaxially stacked in a common waveguide emitting nanosecond pulses around 905nm for LIDAR. The vertical structure is optimized for pulsed operation and implementation of a surface Bragg grating for emission in the 2nd order vertical mode. 6mm long diode lasers with a 25μm output aperture, integrated in an inhouse high pulse current electronic driver, provide a pulse power ⪆20W, a beam propagation ratio M2~4.5, and a brightness of ~16W(mm mrad). The emission spectrum features a spectral bandwidth of ⪅0.3nm and a temperature-related shift of ⪅70pm/K.
Diode lasers providing nanosecond high power optical pulses are key components for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems used for, e.g., distance measurements. For autonomous vehicles, good beam quality is an important aspect to achieve the required high spatial resolution. While 30 μm broad area devices can achieve pulse powers >20 W emitting at 905 nm, the beam quality factor M2 is about ten and further degrades with increasing stripe width. Tapered-Ridge-Waveguide (TRW) lasers with 23 μm wide output apertures reduced the M2 to about 2.2 without power loss. However, deployment of such lasers also requires a low temperature-dependent wavelength shift allowing for narrowband spectral filters. Here, we present TRW Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) lasers with a 23 μm wide output aperture. For emission around 905 nm the active region comprises an InGaAs single quantum well embedded in an AlGaAs waveguide. A surface Bragg grating is implemented into an unpumped section of the device enabling a wavelength shift of only 0.07 nm/K. The electrical interface realized by a nanosecond pulse driver developed in-house delivers pulse currents up to some 10 A within 2 ns to 5 ns pulses at 10 kHz. We investigate different designs of the trenches etched to define the ridge-waveguide. Beam quality factors of about three are achieved at pulse powers of about 10 W. Experimental results on the optical power, the near and far field profiles, and spectral characteristics are presented. Integration into an electrical driver module allows for reliability tests on an application relevant testbed.
KEYWORDS: Pulsed laser operation, Laser bars, Laser stabilization, Semiconductor lasers, LIDAR, Near field optics, Active optics, Near field, Blue lasers, Waveguides
Diode lasers providing nanosecond long optical pulses are key components for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems employed in, e.g., autonomous vehicles. However, achieving high resolution at large distances in real world scenarios remains a challenge due to the high currents required for high pulse powers. To reduce the currents needed, several laser diodes, separated by tunnel junctions, can be epitaxially stacked in series. Here, we present a 4 mm long laser with a stripe width of 50 μm comprising three InGaAs quantum wells and two GaAs tunnel junctions placed in the antinodes and nodes of the 2nd order vertical mode, respectively, to realize a shared optical waveguide. 1 mm long surface Bragg gratings stabilize the emission wavelength. Implemented in a 48-emitter laser bar soldered p-side down on a CuW submount and integrated in an inhouse developed electronic driver providing pulse currents up to 1 kA in a few nanoseconds, pulse powers exceeding 2 kW are achieved in 8 ns long pulses at a 10 kHz rate. Comparison with a similar module using a laser bar with a single active region shows a threefold increase of pulse power. The optical spectrum of the laser bar with a peak wavelength around 910 nm features a spectral bandwidth of only about 0.3 nm (3 dBc) and a wavelength shift with temperature of only 0.07 nm/K which is the same as what was achieved with single active regions. Results of reliability tests show no degradation of performance for more than 6000 h.
Diode lasers providing nanosecond optical pulses with high peak optical powers are key components in systems for freespace communication, metrology, material processing, spectroscopy, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) as employed for, e.g., autonomous driving. Here, we report on laser sources for line-scanning automotive LIDAR systems. The laser sources are implemented as distributed Bragg reflector diode lasers bars featuring 48 broad area emitters each with a 50 μm wide mesa structure. The epitaxial layer structure comprising an AlGaAs-based waveguide and InGaAs single quantum well is optimized for pulsed operation at a wavelength of around 905 nm. For a temperature-dependent wavelength shift as low as approx. 60 pm/K, each emitter features a surface-DBR grating. The DBR laser bars are mounted p-side down on CuW submounts and sandwiched between a thin electronic driver board and a mount to minimize inductances. The in-house developed electronic driver generates 2 ns to 10 ns long current pulses with peak current up to 1000 A. With 8 ns long optical pulses and a peak current of about 900 A, a peak optical power of about 640 W is achieved at 25°C. Integration of the diode laser with micro-lenses and a beam twister provides a homogeneous line by individual projection of each of the 48 emitters with divergence angles of 24 deg x 0.1 deg (full width at 1/e2 intensity) in the vertical and horizontal direction, respectively.
We present a detailed experimental investigation of 48 emitter distributed Bragg reflector laser bars, developed for LIDAR applications, that emit nanosecond pulses under pulsed high current excitation round 905 nm. The in-house developed electrical interface provides nanosecond pulses with peak currents up to 900 A. The influence of chip length, active region design, and operation parameters are investigated. Experimental results including the optical pulse power, the spectral emission characteristics, and temporal characteristics will be presented. Peak optical pulse powers exceeding 440 W at >600 A and 650 W at >900 A for 2 ns and 10 ns long pulses, respectively, at 10 kHz and 25 °C can be achieved.
Nowadays cold atom-based quantum sensors such as atom interferometers start leaving optical labs to put e.g. fundamental physics under test in space. One of such intriguing applications is the test of the Weak Equivalence Principle, the Universality of Free Fall (UFF), using different quantum objects such as rubidium (Rb) and potassium (K) ultra-cold quantum gases. The corresponding atom interferometers are implemented with light pulses from narrow linewidth lasers emitting near 767 nm (K) and 780 nm (Rb). To determine any relative acceleration of the K and Rb quantum ensembles during free fall, the frequency difference between the K and Rb lasers has to be measured very accurately by means of an optical frequency comb. Micro-gravity applications not only require good electro-optical characteristics but are also stringent in their demand for compactness, robustness and efficiency. For frequency comparison experiments the rather complex fiber laser-based frequency comb system may be replaced by one semiconductor laser chip and some passive components. Here we present an important step towards this direction, i.e. we report on the development of a compact mode-locked diode laser system designed to generate a highly stable frequency comb in the wavelength range of 780 nm.
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