Progress on high-power high-brightness VCSELs and applications

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are attractive for many pumping and direct-diode applications due to combined advantages in low cost, high reliability, narrow and thermally stable spectrum, high power scalability, and easy system integration, etc. We report our progress on electrically pumped, GaAs-based, high- power high-brightness VCSELs and 2D arrays in the infrared wavelength range. At 976nm, over 5.5W peak CW output and 60% peak power conversion efficiency (PCE) were demonstrated with 225um oxide-confined device. For 5x5mm arrays, peak PCE of 54% and peak power of >450W at 976nm, peak PCE of 46% and peak power of >110W at 808nm were achieved respectively under QCW conditions. External cavity configuration was used to improve the VCSEL brightness. Single mode output of 280mW and 37% PCE were realized from 80um device. For large 325um device, we obtained single mode (M2=1.1) CW output of 2.1W, corresponding to a brightness of 160MW/cm2*sr. Three major areas of applications using such VCSELs are discussed: 1. High brightness fiber output; 2. High power, high efficiency green lasers from 2nd harmonic generation. 3.34W green output with 21.2% PCE were achieved; 3. Pumping solid state lasers for high energy pulse generation. We have demonstrated Q-switched pulses with 16.1mJ at 1064nm and 4.9mJ with 1W average power at 473nm.

[1]  Kent D. Choquette,et al.  Vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers: moving from research to manufacturing , 1997, Proc. IEEE.

[2]  A. Moser,et al.  Arrhenius parameters for the rate process leading to catastrophic damage of AlGaAs‐GaAs laser facets , 1992 .

[3]  L. Arthur D'Asaro,et al.  High-power high-efficiency 2D VCSEL arrays , 2008, SPIE OPTO.

[4]  James D. Wynn,et al.  High-power vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers for solid-state laser pumping , 2012, Photonics West - Optoelectronic Materials and Devices.

[5]  L. Coldren,et al.  High-performance small vertical-cavity lasers: a comparison of measured improvements in optical and current confinement in devices using tapered apertures , 1999 .

[6]  Kang Li,et al.  Compact 1.3 W green laser by intracavity frequency doubling of a multi-edge-emitter laser bar using a MgO:PPLN crystal. , 2009, Optics letters.

[8]  U. Keller,et al.  High-power passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers , 2002 .

[9]  O. Okhotnikov,et al.  High power frequency doubled GaInNAs semiconductor disk laser emitting at 615 nm. , 2007, Optics express.

[10]  Yong Wang,et al.  Pump arrangement for kilowatt fiber lasers , 2003, The 16th Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, 2003. LEOS 2003..

[11]  D. Deppe,et al.  Native-Oxide Defined Ring Contact for Low Threshold Vertical-Cavity Lasers , 1994 .

[12]  Guoyang Xu,et al.  Progress on vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser arrays for infrared illumination applications , 2014, Photonics West - Optoelectronic Materials and Devices.

[13]  J. McInerney,et al.  Efficient frequency doubling of a vertical-extended-cavity surface-emitting laser diode by use of a periodically poled KTP crystal. , 2003, Optics letters.

[14]  Qing Wang,et al.  High power 808 nm VCSEL arrays for pumping of compact pulsed high energy Nd:YAG lasers operating at 946 nm and 1064 nm for blue and UV light generation , 2011, LASE.

[15]  A. Mooradian.  High brightness cavity-controlled surface emitting GaInAs lasers operating at 980 nm , 2001, OFC 2001. Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibit. Technical Digest Postconference Edition (IEEE Cat. 01CH37171).

[16]  L. Arthur D'Asaro,et al.  Progress in high-power high-efficiency VCSEL arrays , 2009, OPTO.

[17]  Chris McIntosh,et al.  VCSEL end-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with adjustable pulse energy. , 2011, Optics express.

[18]  L. Coldren,et al.  Diode Lasers and Photonic Integrated Circuits , 1995 .

[19]  Qing Wang,et al.  1W frequency-doubled VCSEL-pumped blue laser with high pulse energy , 2015, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[20]  S. Bounnak,et al.  200/spl deg/C, 96-nm wavelength range, continuous-wave lasing from unbonded GaAs MOVPE-grown vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers , 1995, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[21]  P. Dapkus,et al.  Aperture placement effects in oxide-defined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers , 1998, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[22]  M. Kuznetsov,et al.  High-power (>0.5-W CW) diode-pumped vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers with circular TEM/sub 00/ beams , 1997, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[23]  Vadim Chuyanov,et al.  High-brightness fiber coupled pumps , 2009, LASE.

[24]  D. Gapontsev,et al.  2 kW CW ytterbium fiber laser with record diffraction-limited brightness , 2005, CLEO/Europe. 2005 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe, 2005..

[25]  R. Michalzik.  VCSELs: Fundamentals, Technology and Applications of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers , 2012 .

[26]  Andrew Clark,et al.  Commercialization of Honeywell's VCSEL technology , 2000, Photonics West - Optoelectronic Materials and Devices.

[27]  Pal Molian,et al.  High-brightness laser welding of thin-sheet 316 stainless steel , 2000 .

[28]  James D. Wynn,et al.  High-brightness pump sources using 2D VCSEL arrays , 2010, OPTO.

[29]  Peng Wang,et al.  Continuous-wave, 15.2 W diode-end-pumped Nd:YAG laser operating at 946 nm. , 2006, Optics letters.

[30]  Qing Wang,et al.  High power high repetition rate VCSEL array side-pumped pulsed blue laser , 2013, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[31]  Norman P. Barnes,et al.  High-energy Q-switched 0.946-mum solid-state diode pumped laser , 2002 .

[32]  Brian Thibeault,et al.  Current spreading in apertured vertical-cavity lasers , 1997, Photonics West.

[33]  Steve Patterson,et al.  100-W 105-μm 0.15NA fiber coupled laser diode module , 2009, LASE.

[34]  G Feugnet,et al.  8-mJ TEM(00) diode-end-pumped frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser. , 1998, Optics letters.

[35]  H. Temkin,et al.  Single-mode operation from an external cavity controlled vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser , 1999, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[36]  A. Allerman,et al.  Intracavity frequency doubling of a diode-pumped external-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser. , 1999, Optics letters.

[37]  James R. Leger,et al.  Single-mode vertical cavity surface emitting laser by graded-index lens spatial filtering , 1997 .

[38]  A. R. Sugg,et al.  Hydrolyzation oxidation of AlxGa1−xAs‐AlAs‐GaAs quantum well heterostructures and superlattices , 1990 .

[39]  Bien Chann,et al.  Direct diode lasers for industrial sheet metal cutting and welding , 2014, 2014 IEEE Photonics Conference.

[40]  Jerome V Moloney,et al.  High power vertical-external-cavity surface emitting lasers and their applications , 2006, SPIE OPTO.